聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚醋酸乙烯酯/纳米二氧化硅体系的相分离行为研究

研究了聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚醋酸乙烯酯/纳米二氧化硅(PMMA/PVAc/silica)体系的相分离行为.通过傅里叶变换红外光谱和链缠结行为的研究发现PMMA和PVAc间存在较强的分子间相互作用,加入纳米二氧化硅导致2种聚合物在纳米粒子表面吸附,从而改变了分子间相互作用.体系中复杂的分子间相互作用以及纳米粒子-聚合物相互作用使得时温叠加严重失效,因此提出用归一化Cole-Cole图分析该体系的相分离过程.纳米粒子对不同组成体系相分离行为的影响不同,近临界组成中纳米粒子促进相分离并最终分布于两相界面,远临界组成中纳米粒子起成核作用并始终分布于海岛相中,这种由相分离机理决定的纳米粒子选择性分布为调控纳米粒子在聚合物中的组装结构提供了新的思路.     

PMMA对聚氧乙烯β转变的影响

对半结晶聚氧乙烯（PEO)/PMMA共混体系的DSC及动态力学行为研究表明：PEO在和PMMA形成半结晶PEO/PMMA共混体系后，其β转变的峰温没有明显移动；β峰只出现在淬炎的半结晶PEO/PMMA共混体系中，而在完全非晶的相容性共混体系以及退火的半结晶共混体系不出现；在β转变区，对应的模量反常地增大，对应的DSC曲线有明显阶跃。可见，半结晶PEO的β转变并不象通常所认为的源于PEO非晶区的玻璃化转变。在接受半结晶PEO及半结晶PEO/PMMA共混体系的PEO结晶区存在结晶-非晶中间相观点的基础上，认为β转变源于PEO结晶区结晶-非晶中间相的玻璃化转变过程。     

钙离子诱导的海藻酸钠/黄原胶凝胶化临界行为研究

研究了海藻酸钠/黄原胶混合体系的相行为及其对海藻酸钠-钙离子凝胶化临界行为的影响.当海藻酸钠浓度为0.5 wt%时,随着黄原胶的添加,混合体系出现相容、相分离及液晶3种不同的相行为.与纯黄原胶溶液相比,海藻酸钠/黄原胶混合溶液在更低的黄原胶浓度下开始形成液晶,这是由于混合体系中相分离的发生导致了黄原胶有效浓度升高.利用葡萄糖酸内酯(GDL)在线酸化Ca-EDTA,释放钙离子,研究了不同钙离子引入量时(f=[Ca2+]/[COO-])混合体系的黏弹性.Winter-Chambon分析发现临界凝胶点(f gel)随黄原胶浓度的增加而降低.当相分离发生时,临界凝胶点急剧降低,当液晶结构形成后,临界凝胶点呈现上升趋势.通过对比Winter-Chambon方法和临界凝胶点模量松弛法所测得的松弛临界指数(nw和nr),发现黄原胶的添加使海藻酸钠临界凝胶失去结构自相似性.相分离的发生导致临界凝胶结构排列更加致密,而液晶的出现使临界凝胶结构排列相对疏松.     

SiO_2粒子对PMMA/SAN共混体系相分离行为的影响

采用小角激光光散射(SALLS)并结合动态流变学方法,考察了气相法二氧化硅(SiO2)粒子的加入对聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/苯乙烯-丙烯腈无规共聚物(PMMA/SAN)共混体系相行为的影响,得到了添加SiO2粒子前后的相图,发现SiO2粒子对基体相行为的影响与基体的组成有关.对PMMA/SAN(60/40)体系,加入SiO2粒子后相分离温度上升,但并未改变相分离机理,仍为亚稳单相分解过程(spinodal decomposition,SD);而对于PMMA/SAN(30/70)体系,加入SiO2粒子后却降低了体系的相分离温度.该现象可能是SiO2粒子和基体组分界面间组成与PMMA/SAN共混物基体组成的差异造成的.     

星型高分子共混体系的相平衡、相分离和相界面的 统计力学理论

在平均场近似下求得了星型高分子共混体系的混合自由能及其相分离动力学方程。本文的理论结果表明,型高分子共混体系与线型高分子共混体系相比具有更快的相分离速度。而且,因其相界面张力较低,体系较易形成更多的相界面,浓度涨落的临界波矢也更大。除此之外,由于在相同分子量的条件下星型高分子的尺寸要小,因此其相界面更窄,当星型高分子的臂数为1或2时,所有结果均合理地还原到熟知的线型高分子共混体系的结果。因此,本文的结果具有更大的普遍性。     

结晶-非晶共混体系的结晶行为研究——PEO/PMMA与PEO/PVA共混物

用DSC和傅里叶红外(FTIR)光谱表征PEO/PMMA和PEO/PVA共混体系的结晶行为。发现PEO/PVA体系的结晶度与其组成的变化是一致的;而PEO/PMMA体系的结晶度随非晶组分增加而下降的速度,从与组成变化一致到比后者快,但又随时间而改变。对此结晶/非晶共混体系的结晶度随组成和时间而变化的现象,可用体系的玻璃化转变温度(T_g)来解释。     

聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚丙烯酸乙酯互穿网络体系相逆转、相态结构与性能的研究

本文研究了聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚丙烯酸乙酯互穿网络体系(PMMA/PEALIPN)相分离和组分配比对其相逆转、相态结构及动态力学性能的影响.同时,对LIPN与其相应的混合乳液体系的结构和阻尼特性进行比较.结果表明,LIPN体系由于存在网络的相互贯穿,与混合体系相比其相分离程度低,出现精细结构,密度较高.当丙烯酸乙酯(EA)含量低时,PEA呈细胞结构分散在PMMA连续相中,随EA量的增加,体系出现相逆转并在EA体积含量为48％至86％范围内呈两相连续,各种性能发生突变和具有高阻尼特性.实数模量的实验点服从用Halpin-Tsai-Nielsen模量上、下限方程和描述两相连续的对数混合律三个方程结合计算的理论曲线.     

小角X射线散射研究乳胶分散液的微观结构

采用同步辐射小角X射线散射（SAXS）技术观察了2种不同乳胶体系的微观结构以及将其混合对结晶行为的影响。 结果表明,体积分数为50%的苯乙烯-丙烯酸丁酯共聚物乳胶液在室温下没有结晶。 通过对散射强度曲线的拟合,乳胶粒子的平均半径是76 nm,小于动态光散射的测量值（80 nm）。 然而,50%的苯乙烯-丁二烯共聚物乳胶液发生了结晶。 利用面心立方（fcc）结构和晶格常数为212 nm的晶格衍射进行拟合,发现散射曲线中的所有Bragg衍射峰均对应1个或多个晶面指数。 将2种乳胶液混合后各个衍射峰仍能分辨出来,这说明原始乳液中的部分微晶在混合过程中仍然稳定存在。     

聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚丙烯酸乙酯互穿网络体系相逆转、相态结构与性能的研究

 本文研究了聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚丙烯酸乙酯互穿网络体系(PMMA/PEALIPN)相分离和组分配比对其相逆转、相态结构及动态力学性能的影响.同时,对LIPN与其相应的混合乳液体系的结构和阻尼特性进行比较.结果表明,LIPN体系由于存在网络的相互贯穿,与混合体系相比其相分离程度低,出现精细结构,密度较高.当丙烯酸乙酯(EA)含量低时,PEA呈细胞结构分散在PMMA连续相中,随EA量的增加,体系出现相逆转并在EA体积含量为48％至86％范围内呈两相连续,各种性能发生突变和具有高阻尼特性.实数模量的实验点服从用Halpin-Tsai-Nielsen模量上、下限方程和描述两相连续的对数混合律三个方程结合计算的理论曲线.     

P123(PEO20-PPO70-PEO20)嵌段共聚物水溶液物理凝胶化行为的耗散粒子动力学模拟

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative particle dynamics, DPD)方法研究了P123(PEO20-PPO70-PEO20)嵌段共聚物水溶液常温下的物理凝胶化行为. 在体积分数(2%~10%)较低时, P123在水溶液中形成球形胶束. 当P123的水溶液体积分数升高到20%时, 会形成柱状胶束. 在P123的水溶液体积分数为30%和40%时, 观察到具有三维网络结构的凝胶. 这些模拟结果不仅与实验结果一致, 而且证明了耗散粒子动力学方法是一种非常适合研究物理凝胶化行为的重要方法. 另外, 在P123的水溶液体积分数为40%时, 研究了凝胶随着时间发展的形成过程.     

Phase behavior of charge stablized colloid dispersion with added water soluble polymers

Demixing and colloidal crystallization in the mixture of charge stabilized colloidal poly(methyl methacrylate) particles and soluble poly(ethylene oxide) were investigated by means of synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. Phase diagram of the mixture was obtained based on visual inspection and SAXS results. The phase behavior is determined as a function of the concentration of the polymer as well as the volume fraction of the colloidal particles. The system shows a one phase region when the concentration of the polymer is low, whereas a two-phase region is present when the concentration of the polymer is larger than a critical concentration at certain volume fraction of the colloids. Interestingly, a face centered cubic colloidal crystalline structure was formed under certain conditions, which has been rarely observed in experiments of colloid-polymer mixtures with competing interactions.     

Fluidification of Concentrated Aqueous Colloidal Silica Suspensions by Adsorption of Low-Molecular-Weight Poly(ethylene oxide)

This paper deals with the effect of different low-molecular-weight poly(ethylene oxide)s on the rheology of concentrated aqueous colloidal silica suspensions (volume fraction >0.2) with the aim of obtaining well-dispersed media. Results are correlated with the physico-chemical characteristics of the systems that govern the ranges of the various operating interactions, i.e., mainly surface coverage, molecular weight of the polymer, and ionic strength of the medium. Optimization of the fluidification occurs to be strongly linked to these parameters. An unexpected effect of free polymer bulk concentration leads to improved fluidification when the characteristic lengths of the system are correctly adjusted; it has been interpreted in the frame of recent theories.     

Universal features of the melt elasticity of interacting polymer nanocomposites

We study the structure and linear viscoelasticity of interacting polymer nanocomposites based on mixtures of poly(ethylene oxide) and fumed silica particles. The filler is dispersed within the polymer using two different techniques which lead to different dispersion states. The analysis of the dynamic response of our systems highlights the formation of a stress-bearing network above a critical volume fraction, Φ(c). Extending a two-phase model used to describe weakly interacting systems, we show that above Φ(c) the melt-state elasticity of the composites arises from the independent contributions of a polymer-particle network and a viscous matrix. We also find that, although Φ(c) depends on the initial state of dispersion, the network elasticity scales with volume fraction following a universal power-law, with an exponent ν ≈ 1.8. Such a scaling law has been recently predicted for the stress-bearing mechanism governed by polymer-mediated interactions.     

Thermosensitive sol–gel transition behaviors of poly(ethylene oxide)/aliphatic polyester/poly(ethylene oxide) aqueous solutions

The thermoreversible gelation of Pluronic [poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–polypropylene oxide (PPO)–PEO] aqueous solutions originates from micelle formation and micelle volume changes due to PEO–water and PPO–water lower critical solution temperature behavior. The micelle volume fraction is known to dominate the sol–gel transition behavior of Pluronic aqueous solutions. Triblock copolymers of PEO and aliphatic polyesters, instead of PPO, were prepared by hexamethylene diisocyanate coupling and dicyclohexyl carbodiimide coupling. Through changes in the molecular weight and hydrophobicity of the polyester middle block, the hydrophobic–hydrophilic balance of each block was systematically controlled. The following aliphatic polyesters were used: poly(hexamethylene adipate) (PHA), poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA), and poly(ethylene succinate) (PESc). With the hydrophobicity and molecular weight of the middle block increasing, the critical micelle concentration at the same critical micelle temperature decreased, and the absolute value of the micellization free energy increased. The micelle size was rather insensitive to temperature but slightly decreased with increasing temperature. PEO–PHA–PEO and PEO–PEA–PEO triblock copolymers needed high polymer concentrations to form gels. This was ascribed to the tight aggregation of PHA and PEA chains in the micelle core due to strong hydrophobic interactions, which induced the contraction of the micelle core. However, because of the relatively hydrophilic core, a PEO–PESc–PEO aqueous solution showed gelation at a low polymer concentration. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 772–784, 2004     

Influence of poly(ethylene glycol) molecular mass on separation and ordering in solutions of CiEj nonionic surfactants: depletion interactions and steric effects

We study ternary mixtures of nonionic surfactants C(i)E(j) (i = 12; j = 5, 6, 8) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in water. For sufficiently large molecular mass of PEG (M >M(sep) approximately 600), we observe a lowering of phase separation temperature with an increase in polymer concentration. The value of M(sep) is consistent with the analysis based on depletion interactions between micelles induced by polymer chains. We also demonstrate that there is another critical molecular mass of PEG (M = M* approximately 2000) necessary to induce ordering in the surfactant-rich phase. This critical molecular mass follows from two requirements: (a) PEG has to reduce the separation temperature below a temperature of hexagonal-isotropic phase transition in a binary surfactant-water mixture and (b) the PEG radius of gyration has to be larger than the size of the water channels in the hexagonal phase.     

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted on plasma-activated poly(ethylene oxide): thermal response and interaction with proteins

Thermoresponsive polymer layers offer the possibility of preparing smart surfaces with properties that are switchable through a phase transition, usually close to the lower critical solution temperature of the polymer. In particular, poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) has gained a great deal of attention because it has such a phase transition in a physiologically interesting temperature range. We have prepared ultrathin thermoresponsive coatings by grafting pNIPAM on a plasma-CVD-deposited, poly(ethylene oxide)-like polymer substrate that was activated in an Ar plasma discharge to initiate the grafting. The presence and integrity of pNIPAM was verified by XPS and ToF-SIMS, and a dramatic change in the wettability during the phase transition was identified by temperature-dependent contact angle measurements. The transition from the hydrated to the collapsed conformation was analyzed by temperature-dependent QCM measurements and by AFM. An unusual, reversible behavior of the viscoelastic properties was seen directly at the phase transition from the swollen to the collapsed state. The phase transition leads to a switching from protein repulsion to a state that allows the adsorption of proteins.     

Ionic Conductivity in Solutions of Poly(ethylene oxide) and Lithium Perchlorate

Summary: Solution casting technique served to prepare solid solutions of lithium perchlorate and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) having different molecular masses. Salt concentrations of solutions were varied between around 2 and 13 wt%. Crystallinity and melting point depression served to determine composition and content of amorphous phase as well as thermodynamic behavior of the solutions. Conductivity as a function of salt concentration in the amorphous phase follows a power law at constant temperature (30 °C). It results that both exponent and mobility of charge carriers increase with ascending molecular mass of PEO. The mobility follows an increase with molecular mass proportional to M^2.8 indicating dependence of mobility on interstitial volume between chain molecules. Deviation of solution from perfect behavior can be evaluated by melting point depression. Accordingly, increase in conductivity is preferably related to approach to perfect solution behavior. Determination of dielectric function allows some conclusion about ion pair formation in the systems under discussion. It turns out that probability of ion pair formation decreases with increasing molecular mass of PEO in agreement with thermodynamic behavior of the solutions.     

Size-based separation of synthetic polyelectrolytes in entangled polymer solution capillary electrophoresis: the effect of binary mixtures of separating polymers differing in molecular mass

The influence on the electrophoretic behavior of polystyrenesulfonates of the percentage of high-molecular-mass chains in an entangled poly(ethylene oxide) solution having a bimodal molecular mass distribution has been investigated and compared with the results obtained for similar solutions of unimodal molecular mass distribution. The comparisons between the different separating polymer solutions were made at a constant total mass concentration, so as to keep constant the mesh size and to highlight the sole effect of the network dynamics. The use of binary polymer mixtures of two different molecular masses but of same nature can be a convenient alternative to modulate the dynamics of the network and the viscosity of the separating medium. A 20-30% content of high-molecular-mass chains in an entangled poly(ethylene oxide) solution having a binary molecular mass distribution appears to be a good compromise for a moderate viscosity and a good separation selectivity in comparison with a solution containing only chains of high molecular mass at the same concentration.     

Particle-induced phase separation in mixed polymer solutions

The influence of added colloidal particles on the phase separation of mixed aqueous polymer solutions is investigated. Two types of particles (polystyrene latex or silica) and different combinations of segregating polymers (dextran of varying molar mass combined with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) of varying molar mass, or Ucon, a copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide) were used. All systems displayed particle-induced instability effects, but the extent of the effect varied strongly between the various combinations and with the amount of added salt. Very large instability effects were seen in certain mixtures. Two mechanisms, both relying on the adsorption of at least one of the polymers to the particle surface, seem to operate. Close to the cloud-point curve of the particle-free polymer1/polymer2/water mixture, adsorption of PEO or Ucon to the particles gives rise to a capillary-induced phase separation. Close to the dextran/water axis of the phase diagram, the adsorbing polymer gives rise to a surface modification of the particles, which then interacts repulsively with the surrounding dextran solution.     

Influence of poly(ethylene oxide) brushes on the rheological properties of MgO colloidal suspensions in water

A combined experimental and multiscale simulation study of the influence of polymer brush modification on interactions of colloidal particles and rheological properties of dense colloidal suspensions has been conducted. Our colloidal suspension is comprised of polydisperse MgO colloidal particles modified with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brushes in water. The shear stress as a function of shear rate was determined experimentally and from multiscale simulations for a suspension of 0.48 volume fraction colloids at room temperature for both bare and PEO-modified MgO colloids. Bare MgO particles exhibited strong shear thinning behavior and a yield stress on the order of several Pascals in both experiments and simulations. In contrast, simulations of PEO-modified colloids revealed no significant yielding or shear thinning and viscosity only a few times larger than solvent viscosity. This behavior is inconsistent with results obtained from experiments where modification of colloids with PEO brushes formed by adsorption of PEO-based comb-branched chains resulted in relatively little change in suspension rheology compared to bare colloids over the range of concentration of comb-branch additives investigated. We attribute this discrepancy in rheological properties between simulation and experiment for PEO-modified colloidal suspensions to heterogeneous adsorption of the comb-branch polymers.