A DSC study of the order-disorder transition of SEPS block copolymers in the block copolymer/paraffin oil/layered silicate nanocomposite gels

The effect of addition of layered silicate on the order-disorder transition of poly[styrene-b-(ethylene-propylene)-b-styrene] (SEPS) block copolymer in the block copolymer/paraffin oil/layered silicate nanocomposite gels was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and modulated DSC (MDSC). The addition of layered silicate has significant influences on the order-disorder transition and the phase structure of the block copolymer. With increasing layered silicate, the order-disorder transition temperature of the block copolymer decreased. The addition of layered silicate reduced the ordering level of the block copolymer. MDSC results revealed that the order-disorder transition is a glass transition-like process. A thermal event related to the ordering process, which took place in the preparation of the sample and hid in the specimen, has been revealed by MDSC first time.