Successive adsorption of polyacrylamide compounds from electrolyte solutions on the surface of kaolinitic clay particles

Successive adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, namely, cationic and anionic acrylamide copolymers, on a solid phase surface from solutions with high ionic strength is investigated. The constants of the Freundlich equation are calculated for the adsorption of different polymers. The interrelation between the adsorption values of polymers and their flocculation activity with respect to clay-salt suspensions is determined. The successive adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes strongly affects the flocculation due to the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes on the surface of clay particles. The mechanism for complexation is proposed.     

Salt effect on surface modification of silica by interpolyelectrolyte complexes

The effect of a low-molecular-mass salt on the properties of interpolyelectrolyte complexes formed as a result of interactions between poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and copolymers of maleic acid with propylene or α-methylstyrene in their salt containing non-stoichiometric mixtures has been studied. Properties of such interpolyelectrolyte complexes were found to be determined by the chemical nature of the polyelectrolytes and by the salt concentration. The effect of salt on the surface modification of silica particles via their interactions with interpolyelectrolyte complexes has been examined. Two different ways of the surface modification of silica particles were used: (i) silica particles were contacted with previously prepared interpolyelectrolyte complexes and (ii) silica particles were contacted with cationic polyelectrolyte at first and then anionic polyelectrolyte was added. The efficiency of the surface modification was shown to be also dependent on the salt concentration and the chemical nature of polyelectrolytes. Turbidimetry, quasi-elastic light scattering, laser microelectrophoresis, and polyelectrolyte titration were used to characterize studied systems.     

The role of complex formation in the flocculation of negatively charged sols with anionic polyelectrolytes

Summary Flocculation of negatively charged colloids by anionic polyelectrolytes, resulting from the adsorption of polymers on the colloid surface and from bridging of polymer chains between solid particles, is only possible if an appropriate concentration of electrolyte is present in the solution. Complex formation in the immediate vicinity of the sol surface between the counter cation and the functional groups of the polyelectrolyte plays a major role in the attachment of anionic polyelectrolytes to negative hydrophobic sols.Stability constants for Cu(II) polyacrylate and for the Ca complexes of a polyacrylic acid, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and polystyrene sulfonate have been determined, and the effect of solution variables upon flocculation of AgBr/Br^– sols by anionic polyelectrolytes have been investigated. Ca⁺² ions affect the adsorption of polystyrenesulfonate on a negatively polarized mercury surface, as reflected in measurements of the differential capacitance; the presence of complex bound functional groups apparently changes the structure and orientation ability of the adsorbed polymer.With 5 figures in 10 details and 2 tables     

Flocculation of kaolin particles by two typical polyelectrolytes: A comparative study on the kinetics and floc structures

The flocculation kinetics of kaolin particles induced by two polyelectrolytes is studied by using small-angle laser light scattering (SALLS). Two different methods, image analysis and SALLS, are used to calculated the fractal dimensions of flocs formed under different flocculation mechanisms. For a high charge density of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC), the initially flocculation rates are slow due to the quite low molecular weight. Smaller and more compact flocs are in the particle–particle connections, and restructuring of the flocs occurs in the flocculation process. With cationic polyacrylamide C498 of very high molecular weight and low charge density, however, the initially flocculation rates are much higher due to its rapid adsorption on kaolin particles, but it will take the adsorbed polymer a much longer time to reach equilibrium due to re-conformation. High potentialities of adsorption prevent the particles from entering the interior of the floc structure or rearrangement, which results in a more open floc structure. Different underlying flocculation mechanisms are evident for these two kinds of polyelectrolytes, in which charge neutralization is mainly involved for the low molecular weight and high charge density polymer of PDADMAC while polymer bridging is suggested to be the dominant mechanism for the high molecular weight polyelectrolyte of C498.     

Kinetics and mechanism of flocculation of bentonite and kaolin suspensions with polyelectrolytes and the strength of floccs

The effects of cationic (Zetag 7589, Zetag 8660, and SNF 528) and anionic (Magnafloc 1011) polyelectrolytes, as well as the regimes and intensity of suspension stirring, on the kinetics of formation, disruption, and subsequent regrowth of aggregates of bentonite and kaolin particles, are studied in a flow system. The optimum polymer doses and the stirring conditions providing the formation of largest and strongest floccules are found. Under comparable conditions, the effect of the adsorption of the above polymers on the electrokinetic potential and the degree of aggregation of particles is studied. It is shown that intense flocculation takes place long before the isoelectric point of particles is reached. This allows one to conclude that the formation of polymer bridges plays a significant role in the flocculation of the examined suspensions with polyelectrolytes. Different dependencies of flocculation on the dose of added polyelectrolytes have been found for diluted and concentrated suspensions. This is explained by different extents to which flocculants adsorbed on the particle surface approach the equilibrium state at different concentrations of dispersed phases.     

Flocculation and stabilization of colloidal silica by the adsorption of poly-diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride (PDADMAC) and of copolymers of DADMAC with N-methyl-N-vinyl- acetamide (NMVA)

 The stabilization and flocculation behavior of colloidal silica-particles with cationic polyelectrolytes (PE) is investigated. The zetapotentials, diffusion coefficients and flocculation rate constants of silica particles have been measured as a function of the adsorbed amount of cationic polyelectrolytes poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride) (PDADMAC) of different molar masses and of statistic copolymers of DADMAC and N-methyl-N-vinyl-acetamide (NMVA) of various compositions at different salt concentrations and pH-values. Very fast flocculation due to van der Waals attraction occurs if the zetapotential is small. At low ionic strength this condition occurs just below the plateau of the adsorption isotherms where the surface charges are screened by adsorbed polycations. Additionally with high molecular polycations slow mosaic flocculation is observed at lower PE concentrations. At high ionic strength fast flocculation takes place at low macroion concentration due to the screening of the surface charges by adsorbed polycations and salt ions. At medium concentrations of polycations below plateau adorption slow bridging flocculation is observed. At plateau adsorption the suspensions become stabilized up to high ionic strength. At low salt concentration charge reversal at full coverage with polycations results in electrostatic repulsion. At high ionic strength the particles are stabilized sterically due to the osmotic repulsion of the long adsorbed PE tails. Therefore macroions of high molar mass are necessary to stabilize the suspension at high ionic strength. Received: 27 January 1998 Accepted: 23 March 1988     

Regularities of flocculation of aqueous kaolinite dispersions with binary compositions of cationic polyelectrolytes

The regularities of the flocculation of kaolin suspensions with binary mixtures of cationic polyelectrolytes are studied. The relationship between the viscosity of flocculant solutions and the conditions of efficient flocculation is studied. It is established that an increase in the sedimentation rate upon the application of binary mixtures of flocculants results form their synergistic effect. The synergistic effect is assumed to be due to a reduction in the swelling coefficient of adsorbed polyelectrolyte macromolecules, which gives rise to the formation of floccules with enhanced density and strength.     

Cationic flocculants carrying hydrophobic functionalities: applications for solid/liquid separation

The flocculation behaviors of three series of polycations with narrow molecular weight distributions carrying hydrophobic substituents on their backbones [poly(N-vinylbenzyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride), poly(N-vinylbenzyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-butylammonium chloride), and poly(N-vinylbenzylpyridinium chloride)] were investigated in dispersions of monodisperse polystyrene latexes and kaolin. Apparently, the charge density of the polycations decreases with increasing substituent hydrophobicity and increasing molecular weight of the polyelectrolytes. The necessary amount of flocculant for phase separation in dispersions with high substrate surface charge densities increases with increasing hydrophobicity of the polyelectrolyte. Nevertheless, the introduction of hydrophobic functionalities is beneficial, resulting in a substantial broadening of the range between the minimum and maximum amounts of flocculant necessary for efficient flocculation (flocculation window). An increase in ionic strength supports this effect. When the substrate has a low charge density, the hydrophobic interactions play a much more significant role in the flocculation process. Here, the minimum efficient doses remained the same for all three polyelectrolytes investigated, but the width of the flocculation window increased as the polycation hydrophobicity and the molecular weight increased. The necessary amount of flocculant increased with an increase in particle size at constant solid content of the dispersion, as well as with a decreasing number of particles at a constant particle size.     

Electrokinetic potential of bentonite and kaolin particles in the presence of polymer mixtures

In order to elucidate the mechanisms of flocculation by polymer mixtures, the effect of adsorption of non-ionic poly(ethylene oxide) — PEO, two samples of strongly (SNF FO 4800) and medium charged (SNF FO 4350) cationic and two samples of medium (SNF AN 935) and weakly charged (SNF AN 905) anionic polyelectrolytes (PE) as well as their binary mixtures on the electrokinetic potential of bentonite and kaolin particles has been studied. It is shown that in the presence of PEO-anionic/cationic polymer mixture, the electrokinetic potential of particles is determined by the adsorption of the polyelectrolyte; neither cationic nor anionic segments can be displaced by the non-ionic polymer. In mixtures of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes, the ζ-potential of particles is determined by the adsorbed amount of anionic polymer independently of the charge density of PE and way of addition of the mixture components to the suspension, i.e. (1) first adding the cationic polymer, then the anionic one, or (2) first adding the anionic polymer then the cationic one, or (3) adding an increasing amount of pre-prepared 1: 1 mixture. The highest absolute ζ-potential values are observed for pH 7.5 when the surface of bentonite or kaolin particles is “purely” negatively charged and the anionic PE layer is most extended because of few contacts to the surface. With decreasing the pH, the (negative) ζ-potential of particles decreases due to appearance of a small amount of positive charges on the surface that bond an increasing amount of negative segments and results in shrinking of the adsorbed layer of the anionic PE. It is shown also that the electrokinetic potential of particles in anionic and cationic PE mixtures at all studied pH (4, 5, and 7.5) depends on the spatial distribution of negatively charged segments near the surface. The regularities observed are explained by formation of long loops and tails of anionic segments on the surface because of the small number of contacts to the surface; the cationic polyelectrolyte forms on the surface a thin layer with a big number of contacts and which is hidden behind the more extended anionic polymer layer.     

Supramolecular Systems from Natural Polymers and Maleic Polyelectrolytes

Summary: The formation of polyelectrolyte complexes by interaction between chitosan and maleic acid copolymers as strong/weak dibasic polyanions was investigated. The interaction between the sodium salt of maleic acid copolymers with styrene or vinyl acetate and the chitosan hydrochloride in aqueous solution was followed by potentiometric, conductometric and turbidimetric titration. The effect of the added low molecular salt on the complex formation was also investigated. The precipitated complexes were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy and TG analysis. Preliminary layer-by-layer deposition experiments were performed to obtain thin films.     

Interactions between bottle-brush polyelectrolyte layers: effects of ionic strength and oppositely charged surfactant

Interactions between cationic bottle-brush polyelectrolyte layers adsorbed on mica across salt and oppositely charged surfactant solutions were investigated with the interferometric surface force apparatus, and the results were compared with what is known for similarly charged linear polyelectrolytes. Ellipsometric measurements demonstrated that the bottle-brush polyelectrolytes, which contain 45 units long poly(ethylene oxide) side chains, are more readily desorbed than linear equivalents when the ionic strength of the solution is increased. It is argued that this is due to the steric repulsion between the poly(ethylene oxide) side chains that reduces the surface affinity. The preadsorbed bottle-brush polyelectrolyte layers were also exposed to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions. It was found that the presence of SDS affected the force profiles less than observed for similarly charged linear polyelectrolytes. This observation was attributed to excluded volume constraints imposed by the poly(ethylene oxide) side chains that reduces the accessibility of the charged polyelectrolyte segments and counteracts formation of large aggregates within the layer.     

The formation of interpolymer complexes in mixtures of weak polyelectrolytes

How the specific features of the formation of interpolymer complexes in nonstoichiometric mixtures of weak and strong polyelectrolytes depend on their concentrations, their degrees of polymerization, the polyelectrolyte weakness, and the low-molecular-mass salt concentration were investigated. Theoretical results are in qualitative accordance with experimental data.     

Organo-modified cationic silica nanoparticles/anionic polymer as flocculants

The synthesis of quaternized silica nanoparticles and its application to fine clay flocculation were investigated. N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride was used as a cationic reagent to introduce quaternary amine groups onto the surfaces of silica nanoparticles via the formation of covalent bonds between the methoxy groups of the cationic reagents and the silanol groups in the silica surface. The zeta potential, zeta, and charge density of the silica particles modified under various reaction conditions were determined. Dynamic clay flocculation experiments using a photometric dispersion analyzer (PDA) showed that the cationic silica alone contributed little to the flocculation. However, the cationic silica, in conjunction with an anionic polymer of high M(w) and low charge density, led to a significant improvement in the flocculation of fine clay particles. The mechanism of flocculation was explored by a systematic investigation of interaction between cationic silica and anionic polymers as well as of their adsorption behavior on clay surfaces. The influence of factors such as pH and electrolyte concentration on clay flocculation was also investigated.     

The effect of pretreatment of calcite dispersions with anionic sodium polyacrylate on their flocculation behavior induced by cationic starch

The flocculation performance of cationic starches on calcite pretreated with anionic sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) was investigated by measuring the mean particle size and the dynamic mobility of the calcite dispersions. Cationic starches of different molecular weight and degree of substitution were used. By varying the amount of anionic sodium polyacrylate, which has a strong affinity to the calcium carbonate surface, one is able to anionically modify the particles and reverse the charge character of the originally cationic calcium carbonate. By such modification of the charge character of the calcium carbonate dispersion, it is possible to approach the mechanisms of flocculation caused by cationic macromolecules like starch. The importance of different mechanisms of flocculation, such as bridging, charge neutralization, and flocculation induced by polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC), was further investigated in this work. It was found that when the NaPA is completely absorbed at the calcite surfaces the mechanism of the flocculation induced by the starch is mainly bridging flocculation. Excess NaPA in the calcium carbonate dispersion will result in polyelectrolyte complexes formed between the non-absorbed NaPA and the oppositely charged starch polymers. These complexes will in most cases strongly enhance the flocculation due to mainly charge neutralization. Depending on the ratio of non-absorbed NaPA and the starch in the aqueous phase, the calcite dispersion is either re-stabilized or more strongly flocculated due to the formed polyelectrolyte complexes. Both the mobility and the particle size measurements support the mechanisms described. It was further demonstrated that the molecular weight and degree of substitution of the starches might be adjusted to control the flocculation behavior.     

Polyelectrolyte adsorption and stabilization of silica-suspensions

The adsorption of cationic polyelectrolytes on colloidal silica-particles is investigated. The polyelectrolytes poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride) PDADMAC of different molar mass have been used. The adsorbed amount is influenced by the ionic strength and pH of the suspension and the molar mass of the macromolecule. The adsorption determines the zetapotential of the covered particles. The electrostatic interaction between the particles as well as the structure of the adsorbed polyelectrolytes play an important role in the stabilization and flocculation behaviour of the polyelectrolyte covered suspensions.     

Chitosan based nonstoichiometric polyelectrolyte complexes as specialized flocculants

The aim of this work was to evaluate the flocculation of kaolin by using positively charged nonstoichiometric interpolyelectrolyte complex (N-PEC) nanoparticles formed by the interaction of chitosan with poly(sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate) (NaPAMPS) and two random copolymers of AMPS with t-butyl acrylamide, comparative with chitosan. The flocculation efficiency was evaluated by optical density at 500 nm. The N-PEC nanoparticles were more effective than chitosan in the kaolin separation, especially at low molar ratios between charges, when the flocculation window was more then double at an optimum dose lower than that of chitosan. The main advantage of N-PECs is the increase of critical concentration for kaolin re-stabilization, the N-PEC particles adsorbed on the kaolin surface protecting them more efficient against re-dispersion. The influence of low molar mass electrolytes on the flocculation with N-PECs was also investigated.     

Lateral mobility of polyelectrolyte chains in multilayers

In this work, the lateral mobility of polyelectrolyte multilayers was investigated by means of the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique, with special attention to the effect of relevant parameters during and after preparation. Different polyelectrolytes with respect to charge density, stiffness, and hydrophilicity were compared. From the experimental results emerged that the density of charged sites along the polymer is the most important parameter controlling the formation of polymer complexes. At higher charge density, more complexes are formed, and the diffusion coefficient decreases. It was observed that the intrinsic backbone stiffness reduces the interpenetration of polyelectrolyte layers and the formation of complexes promoting the lateral mobility. In addition, the lateral mobility increases with increasing ionic strength and with decreasing hydration shell of the added anion in the polyelectrolyte solution. The effect of heating or annealing in electrolyte solution after preparation was also investigated along with the embedding of the probing layer at controlled distances to the multilayer surface.     

Interaction of aluminum polyhydroxochloride sol and poly(4-vinylbenzene sulfonic acid) sodium salt

The interaction of aluminum polyhydroxochloride sol and poly(4-vinylbenzene sulfonic acid) sodium salt is studied. It is found that, in dilute aqueous solutions at pH 4.6, aluminum polyhydroxochloride sol and poly(4-vinylbenzene sulfonic acid) sodium salt form insoluble polymer-colloid complexes of steady compositions. Potentiometric titration data show that the interaction between particles of aluminum polyhy-droxochloride sol and linear macromolecules of the polyelectrolyte occurs via salt bonds formed between unlikely charged groups on the surface of particles and units of the linear polyelectrolyte. The composition of the polymer-colloid complex is determined, and the degree of conversion for the reaction of aluminum poly-hydroxochloride sol and poly(4-vinylbenzene sulfonic acid) sodium salt is estimated. The influence of various polyelectrolytes on the stability of the polymer-colloid complex is studied.     

Adsorption of polyelectrolyte multilayers and complexes on silica and cellulose surfaces studied by QCM-D

The adsorption of polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayers and complexes, obtained from both high- and low-charge polyelectrolytes, was studied on silica and on cellulose model surfaces by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). The film properties acquired with the different strategies were compared. When polyelectrolytes were added on an oppositely charged surface in sequence to form multilayers both the change in frequency and dissipation increased. The changes in frequency and dissipation were clearly higher if low-charge PEs were used in the multilayer formation. The substrate, silica or cellulose, did not affect the adsorption behaviour of low-charge PEs and only minor differences were seen in the adsorbed amounts and changes in dissipation of high-charge PEs between SiO₂ and cellulose. The complexes formed by low-charge PEs had higher changes in frequency and dissipation at low ionic strength on both surfaces, while the complexes formed from high-charge polyelectrolytes adsorbed more at high salt concentration. The complexes of low-charge polyelectrolytes adsorbed more on silica, while the complexes formed by high-charge PEs formed thicker layers on cellulose. The charge ratio had a significant effect on the adsorption and the highest changes in frequency and dissipation were obtained in the anionic/cationic charge ratio of 0.5–0.6. Generally, the multilayers and complexes formed by low-charge polyacrylamides adsorbed highly and formed rather thick layers on both surfaces, unlike the high-charge PEs which formed thin layers using either one of the addition techniques.     

Simulation Study of the Conformational Properties of Diblock Polyelectrolytes in Salt Solutions

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are performed to understand the behavior of diblock polyelectrolytes in solutions of divalent salt by studying the conformations of chains over a wide range of salt concentrations. The polymer molecules are modeled as bead spring chains with different charged fractions and the counterions and salt ions are incorporated explicitly. Upon addition of a divalent salt, the salt cations replace the monovalent counterions, and the condensation of divalent salt cations onto the polyelectrolyte increases, and the chains favor to collapse. The condensation of ions changes with the salt concentration and depends on the charged fraction. Also, the degree of collapse at a given salt concentration changes with the increasing valency of the counterion due to the bridging effect. As a quantitative measure of the distribution of counterions around the polyelectrolyte chain, we study the radial distribution function between monomers on different polyelectrolytes and the counterions inside the counterion worm surrounding a polymer chain at different concentrations of the divalent salt. Our simulation results show a strong dependence of salt concentration on the conformational properties of diblock copolymers and indicate that it can tune the self-assembly behaviors of such charged polyelectrolyte block copolymers.