Block Polymers, 1970 Proceedings of the Symposium on Block Polymers at the Meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York City in September 1969

Block polymers represent another milestone in the preparation of polymers of controlled structure. Catalysts and polymerization methods that allowed the preparation of polymers in which the stereo- and geometric isomerism of the monomer units could be con­ trolled have indeed been among the major developments in polymer science during the last decade. The synthesis of block polymers, in which the sequence length of the comonomer units can be con­ trolled, portends equally important developments in the science and technology of polymers. The papers collected in this volume cover primarily the pro­ ceedings of the most recent symposium on block polymers, sponsored by the Division of Polymer Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. It was held in New York City during the Society's 158th National Meeting in September, 1969. Additional contributions from selected authors were invited especially for this book to achieve the most up-to-date account of the advances that have been made since the development of the thermoplastic elastomers that first brought into focus this important area of research. The first two papers in this volume draw attention to the various problems that should be considered in the preparation of block polymers of precisely defined structure from styrene and butadiene or isoprene by anionic polymerization. Characterization of block polymers presents many problems and there is a paucity of systematic work in this area. Attention has been given to the di­ lute solution properties of block polymers,however, in one of the papers in this volume.

Problems in the Synthesis of Block Polymers by Anionic Mechanism.- Block Copolymers of Styrene and Isoprene: Experimental Design and Product Analysis.- Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies of Tri-Block Polymers.- Relationship of Morphology to Physical Properties of Styrene-Butadiene Block Copolymers.- Multiple Glass Transitions of Block Polymers. II. Differential Scanning Calorimetry of Styrene-Diene Block Copolymers.- Studies on Domain Formation Mechanism of A-B Type Block Copolymer from Its Solution.- Colloidal and Morphological Behavior of Block and Graft Copolymers.- Dilute Solution Properties of Block Polymers.- Mechanical Properties of Styrene-Isoprene Block Copolymers.- Time-Dependent Mechanical Properties of Elastomeric Block Polymers in Large Tensile Deformations.- An Alpha-Methylstyrene Isoprene Block Copolymer.- Synthesis and Thermal Transition Properties of Styrene — Ethylene Oxide Block Copolymers.- The Effects of Preferential Solvents on the Phase Separation Morphology of Styrene-Ethylene Oxide Block Copolymers.- Rheological Properties of Styrene-Ethylene Oxide Block Copolymers: Transition and Melt Flow Behavior.- Segmented Polyurethanes: Properties as a Function of Segmented Size and Distribution.- Mechanical and Optical Properties of Block Polymers II. Polyether Urethanes.- Synthesis and Properties of Siloxane Block Polymers.- An Electron Microscopical Study of the Morphology of Polysiloxane Block Copolymers.- Structure and Properties of Alternating Block Polymers of Dimethylsiloxane and Bisphenol-A Carbonate.- Preparation of Block Copolymers of Some Ethylenic Monomers and Propylene Sulfide.- Controlled Block Copolymerization of Tetrahydrofuran and New Aspects of Tetrahydrofuran Polymerization Kinetics.- Polymerization of Cyclic Imino Ethers. VIII.Block Copolymers.- Thermal Stability of Piperazine Block Copolymers.