(336h) Manipulating Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Networks: Impact of Incorporating Vinyl Monomers

Polysiloxanes, like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), are popular elastomers owing to their favorable properties such as biocompatibility, thermal stability, and room-temperature curing. PDMS is routinely used in numerous applications from consumer gadgets to microfluidics, but for some applications, suffers from drawbacks such as its hydrophobic surface and its tendency to absorb hydrophobic molecules from solution, among others. A classic approach for manipulating polymer properties is through copolymerization. Here, we investigate the impact of incorporating a series of vinyl monomers such as styrene and divinylbenzene to manipulate the physical properties of commercial PDMS. These vinyl monomers are incorporated into and modify the PDMS network through the hydrosilylation reaction, co-crosslinking with vinyl monomers. Successful inclusion of these monomers was assessed via spectroscopic methods while the impact of these monomers on mechanical properties was characterized under tensile and compressive loads. In addition to the impact on physical properties of the cured network materials, the curing kinetics were assessed rheometrically.