Stress - strain isotherms and thermoelastic properties of crosslinked amorphous polyoxyethylene in compression

Stress-strain isotherms at a number of temperatures in the range 45-85[deg]C have been determined for a compressed, amorphous polyoxyethylene network swollen with a constant amount of non-volatile diluent. The observed isotherms showed much smaller departures from the form indicated by the molecular theories of rubberlike elasticity than is generally the case for polymer networks in elongation. The thermoelastic behaviour of the network was characterized by the dependence of the stress on temperature at constant deformation. The value of the temperature coefficient of the unperturbed dimensions of polyoxyethylene calculated from these data is in good agreement with values obtained both from thermoelastic measurements on polyoxyethylene networks in elongation, and from viscosity-temperature studies on isolated polyoxyethylene chains in a thermodynamically good solvent.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/22068/1/0000487.pd