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SynopsisThe use of multidetector size exclusion chromatography is described for studying oxidation in styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer films. It is shown that exposure of these films to atmospheric oxygen causes surface oxidation of the isoprene midblocks and that the antioxidant system used is incapable of preventing this. Higher temperature exposure initially merely accelerates the surface reaction but is followed after an induction period by severe bulk-phase degradation. The implications of ambient temperature surface oxidation of SISbased pressuresensitive adhesives are discussed.

This paper is the first in a series investigating the aging of pressure‐sensitive adhesives based on styrene‐isoprene‐styrene (SIS) block copolymers. An investigation of thermal/oxidative aging of thin SIS films is presented. During these aging experiments, samples were analyzed with size exclusion chromatography (SEC), multiple internal reflectance (MIR) infrared spectroscopy, tack tests, and surface tension estimations.

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