Orientation of polybutadiene chains in a thermoplastic elastomer

The orientation of polybutadiene chains in thermoplastic elastomers based on hydrogen bonding complexes is investigated under uniaxial deformation by two-dimensional small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), deuteron magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2H-NMR), optical birefringence and infrared dichroism spectroscopy (FTIR-D). While SANS probes orientation on the length scale of the radius of gyration,2H-NMR, birefringence and FTIR-D monitor orientation on a segmental scale. The deformation of the elastomer chains appears to be affine on the different length scales.