Low-Temperature-Meltable Elastomers Based on Linear Polydimethylsiloxane Chains Alpha, Omega-Terminated with Mesogenic Groups as Physical Crosslinker: A Passive Smart Material with Potential as Viscoelastic Coupling. Part II-Viscoelastic and Rheological Properties.

ABSTRACT: Rheological and viscoelastic properties of physically crosslinked low-temperature elastomers were studied. The supramolecularly assembling copolymers consist of linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastic chains terminated on both ends with mesogenic building blocks (LC) of azobenzene type. They are generally and also structurally highly different from the well-studied LC polymer networks or LC elastomers: The LC units make up only a small volume fraction in our materials and act as fairly efficient physical crosslinkers with thermotropic properties. The aggregation (nano-phase separation) of the relatively rare, small and spatially separated terminal LC units generates temperature-switched viscoelasticity in the molten copolymers. Their rheological behavior was found to be controlled by an

SUBMITTER: Horodecka S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7760245 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature