POLY(2,6-DIMETHYL-1,4-PHENYLENE OXIDE) POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE) INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORKS

We prepared two component simultaneous interpenetrating polymer networks (SIN’s) of brominated poly(2,6-dimethyl-l,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) cross-linked with ethylenediamine (EDA) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cross-linked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The estimated molecular weights between cross-links (Me) from the stoichiometry of the PPO and PMMA networks were 6000 and 7900, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements show that the IPN’s have a single glass transition (Tg) intermediate in temperature to the Tg’s of the component networks. Transmission electron micrographs also are consistent with a single-phase morphology. A maximum in tensile strength significantly higher than the tensile strengths of a component network occurred at an intermediate composition just as has been observed for the PPO/polystyrene IPN’s. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.