Description:
AbstractPreliminary, systematic measurements of the drawing process of sulfonium salt precursor polymer films were obtained using an Instron tensile tester equipped with an environmental chamber, both of which were interfaced with a computer to measure variables such as stress, temperature, and strain. Under the conditions in which highly oriented samples were obtained, at high strain rates and with high heating rates, orientation appeared to be dependent upon the rate of strain but not upon the total strain. Measurements of the storage and loss moduli at similar heating rates revealed that the loss modulus and the ratio of loss modulus to the storage modulus increased with increasing temperature. These results suggest that the solid sulfonium salt precursor polymer of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene), PPV, undergoes a phase transition to form an intermediate, liquid‐like state during the thermal elimination reaction. Experiments were also performed at a lower strain and heating rate, in which the orientation did depend upon the total strain. However, these polymer films were not as well oriented as were the films drawn at the higher strain and heating rates. Taken together, these results suggest that the transition to a liquid‐like phase may be necessary in obtaining highly oriented samples.