Preparation, Morphology, and Mechanical Properties of Elastomers Based on Polydimethylsiloxane/Polystyrene Blends

Polydimethylsiloxane/polystyrene (PDMS/PS) blends were prepared by radical copolymerization of styrene (St) and divinylbenzene (DVB) in the presence of alpha,omega-dihydroxy-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), using benzoyl peroxide as initiator. The PDMS/PS blends obtained by this method are a series of stable, white gums, when the feed ratio of PDMS to St is 60/40 and DVB to St is not more than 2.0 wt %. Elastomers based on PDMS/PS blends were formed by crosslinking PDMS with methyl-triethoxysilicane (MTES). The MTES dosage was much larger than the amount necessary for end-linking hydroxy-terminated chains of PDMS, with the excess being hydrolyzed to crosslinked networks, which were similar to SiO2 and acted as filler. Mechanical property measurements show that the elastomers thus formed exhibit Superior mechanical properties with respect to pure PDMS elastomer and the elastomers based on PDMS/PS system we prepared before. Moreover, investigations were carried out on the elastomers by extraction measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The extraction data show that the sol-fraction decreases with increasing the feed ratio of DVB to St. SEM observation demonstrates that the elastomer has a microphase-separated structure consisting of dispersed PS domains within a continuous PDMS matrix, and the extracted material exhibits a porous structure. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 985-990, 2009