Using direct polymer reaction of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA), a synthesis of copolymer of styrene and N-aryl succinimide (SMI) has been investigated. SMI copolymers were synthesized from SMA copolymers by a concerted two-step reaction, which consisted of the condensation reaction (step 1) of SMA with aromatic amine to prepare a precursor, succinamic acid, for imide formation and the cyclodehydration reaction (step 2) of succinamic acid. In this article, the application of Searle's preparation method of N-aryl or N-alkyl maleimide to the direct polymer reaction for SMI was attempted. Compared with synthesis of monomeric imides, the imide formation in polymeric condition appeared to be a little more sensitive to the reaction condition. The optimum condition for maximum conversion was examined in terms of time, temperature, and the amount of reactants.

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SYNOPSISSeries of polyurethaneurea elastomers were prepared from 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, poly (tetramethylene ether) glycol and poly (hexamethylene carbonate) glycol for mixed soft segments, and 1,4-butanediol and isophoronediamine for mixed chain extenders.Characteristics of the copolymers related with compositions were examined. FT-IR spectra showed that most of the urea carbony1 groups associated in hydrogen bonding, while urethane carbonyls only partially did so. Thermal and mechanical properties were investigated through differential scanning calorimetry and tensile testing. These thermal and mechanical properties are discussed from the viewpoint of microphase domain separation of hard and soft segments.

Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs) based on 4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, poly(tetramethy1ene glycol), diamine-terminated aliphatic nylon oligomer, and 1,4-butanediol were synthesized by two different polymerization methods, i.e. one shot and prepolymer methods. The effects of the polymerization method on the thermal and mechanical properties of the TPUs have been studied. A broader distribution of hard segment lengths in TPUs prepared by the one shot method was observed from thermal and tensile property measurements, compared with those prepared by the prepolymer method. TPUs by the one shot method showed a higher T,,, of the hard segments and better tensile properties when soft-hard segment interaction was relatively small. However, inferior tensile properties were observed when the soft-hard segment interaction was high; typically when nylon oligomer was used as a soft segment.

The effects of reactive reinforced interface on the morphology and tensile properties of amorphous polyamide (a-PA) and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer blend have been investigated using styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymer as a reactive compatibilizer. The anhydride groups of SMA copolymer can react with the amine groups of polyamide and form in situ graft copolymers at the a-PA-SAN interfaces during the blend preparation. The interfacial adhesion strength of the reactive reinforced interface was evaluated quantitatively using an asymmetric double cantilever beam fracture test as a function of SMA copolymer content using a model adhesive joint. The interfacial adhesion strength was found to increase with the content of SMA copolymer and then level off. The morphological observations of a-PA-SAN (80/20 w/ w) blends showed that the finer dispersion of the SAN domains with rather narrow distribution was obtained by the addition of SMA copolymer into the blends. The trend of morphology change was not in accord with that of the interfacial adhesion strength with respect to the content of SMA copolymer. However, the results of tensile properties showed very similar behavior to the case of the interfacial adhesion strength with respect to SMA content; that is, there was an optimum level of the reactive compatibilizer beyond which the interfacial adhesion strength and tensile strength did not change significantly. These results clearly reveal that tensile properties of polymer blend are highly dependent on the interfacial adhesion strength. Furthermore, it is suggested that the asymmetric double cantilever beam fracture test using a model interface is a useful method to quantify the adhesion strength between the phases in real polymer blends.