Effect of the reactivity of a crosslinking agent on the microphase separation in sequential IPNs: A Monte Carlo simulation study

The effects of the reactivity of a crosslinking agent on the microphase-sep arated structure of sequential interpenetrating polymer networks are analyz ed with a Monte Carlo simulation technique. The simulation results showed t hat the maximum structure factor decreases with an increasing crosslinking rate. However, the maximum structure factor increases when the crosslinking rate is increased further. This behavior is explained by a competition bet ween the phase separation and the restriction of chain mobility due to the increase in molecular weight. In addition, there exists a chain length wher e the chain motion is the most restricted when crosslinks are formed. (C) 2 000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.