Author(s)

Kouichi Kato^1*, Yuki Tsukamoto², Eri Hirai², Yasuhiro Matsuda^2,3, Shigeru Tasaka^2,3

¹Department of Opto-Electronics and Nanostructure Science, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan.
²Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan.
³Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan.

The thermal stability of oil gels formed by styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer (SBS) was improved by adding a small amount of poly(phenylene ether) (PPE), which has a higher glass transition temperature (Tg). In naphthenic oil which is a good solvent for the butadiene blocks, but a non-solvent for the styrene blocks and PPE, PPE was selectively included into styrene blocks in SBS, and induced the increase of the Tg of these blocks. The melting temperature determined by viscoelastic measurements and softening temperature of the gels were elevated by adding PPE, while no significant change was detected by adding polystyrene. The gel became opaque by adding PPE, and partially separated phases were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The dependence of the viscoelastic behavior on the PPE concentration can be explained by the structural change observed by FE-SEM.

Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Triblock Copolymer, Poly(phenylene ether) (PPE), Oil Gel, Naphthenic Oil

Kato, K. , Tsukamoto, Y. , Hirai, E. , Matsuda, Y. and Tasaka, S. (2014) Thermal Stability Improvement and Structural Change of Oil Gels Formed by Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Triblock Copolymer Induced by Adding Poly(phenylene ether). Open Journal of Organic Polymer Materials, 4, 65-73. doi: 10.4236/ojopm.2014.44009.