Monday  |  Salon 11  |  02:30 PM–02:50 PM

#15953, Nanomechanical Behavior of Poly(methy lmethacrylate)– Polyrotaxane Blends Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Improving the ductility and scratch resistance of amorphous glassy polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA is important for many technical applications. Recent studies have identified that blending PMMA with very low concentrations (1-2 wt%) of a polyrotaxane (PR) polymer can significantly improve the mechanical properties of PMMA. The unmodified PR (uPR) used in these studies consists of a linear polyethylene oxide (PEO) chain, that is threaded with multiple cyclodextrin (CD) ring units that are grafted with polycaprolactone (PCL) chains. Furthermore, it was also shown that a modified PR (mPR), wherein the PCL chains grafted onto CD were functionalized with a methacrylate functional group, led to more improved scratch resistance of PMMA. However, the origins of this improved scratch resistance and the role of functionalization are not clearly understood. This presentation will discuss unique atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanomechanical experiments that help characterize the interfacial mechanical behavior of PMMA-PR blends and gain unique insights into the origins of their improved scratch resistance behavior.

Suzanne Peterson   Texas A&M University
Glendimar Molero   Texas A&M University
Hung-Jue Sue   Texas A&M University
Pavan Kolluru   Texas A&M University