Supporting data for Star-to-bottlebrush transition in extensional and shear deformation of unentangled polymer melts

Abstract

These files contain primary data along with associated output from instrumentation supporting all results reported in Zografos et al. "Star-to-bottlebrush transition in extensional and shear deformation of unentangled polymer melts." A series of model poly((±)-lactide) (PLA) graft copolymers were synthesized using ring-opening metathesis polymerization and used to probe the star-to-bottlebrush transition in shear and extensional flows. Ten samples with backbone degrees of polymerization 10 < Nbb < 430, each containing one PLA side chain of length Nsc = 72 per two backbone repeat units, were investigated using small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) and extensional rheometry measurements. The star-like to bottlebrush transition was identified at Nbb = 50-70 using SAOS. In extension, melt strain hardening is absent in the star-like melts (Nbb < 50) but is prominent in the bottlebrush limit (Nbb > 70). The onset of melt strain hardening occurs at a timescale equivalent to the Rouse time of the backbone. A molecular interpretation of these results builds upon recent speculation related to strain-induced increases in interchain friction in bottlebrush polymers. These findings will be useful in designing bottlebrush melts to strain harden, which is critical in various types of processing methods involving extensional flows, including foaming, 3D printing, and film-blowing.