Stress-Strain Isotherms and Stress-Temperature Coefficients of Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) Networks in Compression
Abstract Stress-strain isotherms at 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90°C have been determined for compressed, unswollen poly(dimethylsiloxane) networks which had been prepared either in the undiluted state or in solution. For these networks in compression, deviations of the dependence of stress on strain from that predicted by the statistical theory of rubberlike elasticity are much less than is the case for polymer networks in elongation. The present data nonetheless give a value for the temperature coefficient of the unperturbed dimensions of the network chains which is in good agreement with published results on networks of poly(dimethylsiloxane) in elongation. This agreement thus seems to validate the intentional disregard of such deviations in analyses of stress-temperature measurements.