Simultaneous Studies of Reaction Kinetics and Structure Development in Polymer Processing

The simultaneous time-resolved study of structure development and reaction kinetics during polymer processing is an experimental method that has great potential in developing a deeper understanding of the parameters that govern the formation of structure and therefore polymer properties. A combination of synchrotron radiation small-angle x-ray scattering and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy experiments have been performed on a series of model segmented block copolyurethanes. These studies confirm that the driving force for structure development in polyurethanes is the thermodynamics of phase separation rather than hydrogen bonding.