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Composition-dependent glass-transition temperatures and copolymers

Nature volume 298, pages 729–730 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

The glass transition is of primary relevance to the forming conditions and end-use properties of polymeric materials. Several polymers of industrial importance, most notably polyvinyl chloride (PVC), contain small molecules as processing lubricants (plasticizers) and are, therefore, solutions. Separately, economic and materials advantages have spurred the use of one-phase mixtures (miscible blends) of high polymers. The general theme of the compositional variation of glass-transition temperatures (Tg) includes, in addition, the variation of Tg with degree of polymerization, with cross-link density (network formation) and with copolymer composition. An attempt is made here to find a unified basis for the prediction of these several aspects of an identifiably single topic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanics and Materials Science, Rutgers University, PO Box 909, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA

    P. R. Couchman

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  1. P. R. Couchman
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Couchman, P. Composition-dependent glass-transition temperatures and copolymers. Nature 298, 729–730 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/298729a0

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