Thermal-initiating potentialities of vinyl polyperoxides: Transmutation ofblock-into-block copolymer and an exploratory investigation of surface texture and morphology

This article describes the first comprehensive study on the use of vinyl po lyperoxides, namely, poly(cu-methyl styrene peroxide) (PMSP) and poly(styre ne peroxide) (PSP), as thermal initiators for the synthesis of active polym ers, PMSP-PS-PMSP/PSP-PS-PSP, by free-radical polymerization with styrene. The active polymers have been characterized by H-1 NMR, differential scanni ng calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatograp hy analysis. The PMSP-PS-PMSP/PSP-PS-PSP is further used as the thermal mac roinitiator for the preparation of another block copolymer, PS-b-PMMA, thro ugh the reaction of the active polymers with methyl methacrylate. The mecha nism of the block copolymer formation is discussed. Having established the scanning micrograph details of the homopolymer phases, we analyze the surfa ce features and morphology of the block copolymer. Furthermore, the distinc tion in appearance is highlighted with a view toward strengthening the chem istry with the structural appearance in materials processed differently. (C ) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.