High-strength welds in metallocene Polypropylene/Polyethylene laminates

Spectacular advances in organometallic chemistry over the past two decades have resulted in single-site catalysts that are revolutionizing production of polyethylene (PE) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP). This report describes an unanticipated benefit of metallocene-catalyzed semicrystalline polyolefins, namely welded joint strengths in PE/iPP laminates that can exceed the cohesive strength of the constituents. We propose that interfacial polymer entanglements, established in the molten state and subsequently anchored in chain-folded lamellae upon crystallization, are responsible for this intrinsic property. The poor adhesion exhibited by traditional Ziegler-Natta-catalyzed polyolefins is shown to derive from the accumulation of amorphous polymer, a by-product of the polymerization reactions, at the interface. These results should facilitate fabrication and improve the properties of composites based on materials that dominate the plastics industry.

Giant wormlike rubber micelles

A low molecular weight poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(butadiene) (PEO-PB) diblock copolymer containing 50 weight percent PEO forms gigantic wormlike micelles at low concentrations (<5 percent by weight) in water. Subsequent generation of free radicals with a conventional water-based redox reaction leads to chemical cross-linking of the PB cores without disruption of the cylindrical morphology, as evidenced by cryotransmission electron microscopy and small-angle neutron scattering experiments. These wormlike rubber micelles exhibit unusual viscoelastic properties in water.