Morphological characteristics of the lyotropic and gel phases in the cellulose/NH3/NH4SCN system

Solutions of cellulose in the ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate (24.5/75.5 w/w) solvent form several stable phases. Of particular interest in this work are the temperature-dependent liquid crystalline and gel phases which are stable at cellulose concentrations above 6% w/v. While the temperature-composition conditions yielding these phases are reasonably well established, very little is currently known about the morphological characteristics of lyotropic and gelled cellulose. Polarized light microscopy is employed here to demonstrate that solutions at temperatures above the gel melting point are birefringent, composed of liquid crystals. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy has been used to (i) examine the three-dimensional network in cellulose gels, and (ii) correlate network morphology with cellulose molecular weight and solution concentration. Results obtained from two complementary sample preparation techniques (i.e., critical point drying and freeze drying) are compared to identify and minimize artifacts, and reveal that gel formation occurs as the solutions phase-separate into polymer-rich anisotropic and solvent-rich isotropic phases. The polymer-rich phase is highly interconnected and forms a fibrillar network, with fibrils measuring 20–70 nm in diameter. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The solubility of cellulose in liquid ammonia/salt solutions

The dissolution of cellulose in solutions of liquid ammonia and ammonium thiocyanate is discussed. Viscosity measurements on dilute solutions of cellulose in this solvent over a range of shear rates and shear stresses are reported. A four-bulb Ubbelohde suspended level viscometer was used for the measurements. Plots of log [η] versus log M gave Mark-Houwink coefficients of a = 0.95 and K = 6.686 × 10^?5 at 25°C for [η] as dl/g. The Bloomfield equation was used to calculate effective bond lengths (b) from limiting viscosity numbers of cellulose in solutions of ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate and Cuene, respectively. Results indicate that cellulose may have similar configurations in both solvents and also that the ammonia solutions are true cellulose solutions. Miscibility of the cell- ulose/ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate solutions with organic solvents, such as glycerol, is also reported. Further, a few interesting characteristics of the liquid ammonia/ammonium salt solutions, discussed briefly, are the convenient boiling point, the rheological behavior, and the relatively high concentration of cellulose obtainable.     

Rheology of cellulose/KSCN/ethylenediamine solutions and coagulation into filaments and films

Dissolution of cellulose in ethylenediamine/potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) was studied as a function of cellulose and KSCN concentration. Concentrations of up to 9% (w/w) cellulose were obtained. Large variations in solution rheology with salt and cellulose concentration were observed, and phases including flowing solutions and gels were identified visually. Rheological data indicated that viscosity decreased with increasing salt or cellulose concentration in certain composition ranges. Viscosity decrease with concentration increase is associated with either onset of liquid crystalline ordering or phase separation in the system. Both of these are quite likely in the cellulose/ethylenediamine/KSCN system, depending on composition. Additionally, comparison of loss (G′′) and storage (G′) moduli confirmed that compositions that exhibited gel behavior at zero shear became liquid at shear rates as low as 1 Hz. Solutions were coagulated into filaments and films using ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) and methanol (CH₃OH). Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that significant quantities of KSCN salt remained in the fibers and films after coagulation. Subsequent washing removed residual KSCN and improved physical properties. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2013–2022, 2005     

Thermal gelation of cellulose in a NaOH/thiourea aqueous solution

Utilizing a novel solvent of cellulose, 6 wt % NaOH/5 wt % thiourea aqueous solution, for the first time, we prepared the thermally induced cellulose gel. We investigated the thermal gelation of cellulose solutions with rheometry and the structure of the gel with 13C NMR, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The cellulose solutions revealed an increase in both the storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G") with an increase in the temperature during gelation. The temperature at the turning point, where G' overrides G" because of the onset of gelation, decreased from 38.6 to 20.1 degrees C with an increase of cellulose concentration from 4 to 6 wt %. Given enough time, G' of all solutions can exceed G" at a certain temperature slightly lower than the gelation temperature, indicating that the occurrence of the gelation is also a function of time. Each of the assigned peaks of NMR of the cellulose gel is similar to that of the cellulose solution, suggesting that the gelation resulted from a physical cross-linking. The gels were composed of relatively stable network units with an average diameter of about 47 nm. At either a higher temperature (at 60 degrees C for 30 s) or a longer gelation time (at 30 degrees C for 157 s), the gel in the 5 wt % cellulose solution could form. A schematic gelation process was proposed to illustrate the sol-gel transition: the random self-association of the cellulose chains having the exposed hydroxyl in the aqueous solution promotes the physical cross-linking networks.     

New solvents for cellulose: Hydrazine/thiocyanate salt system

The hydrazine/thiocyanate system was found to be an excellent solvent for cellulose. The solubility and solution properties were investigated. Even at room temperature, the combinations of hydrazine and lithium, sodium, and potassium thiocyanate had high dissolution power for cellulose, up to an 18% (w/w) maximum, unrelated to the polymorph, whereas a combination with ammonium thiocyanate exhibited a solubility difference among celluloses I, II, and III. The effect of the temperature cycling of the system for the rapid dissolution of cellulose was investigated thermodynamically. In these systems, a high concentration of salts was necessary to effect the cellulose dissolution; this suggested that an undissociated salt–solvent complex played an important role in the cellulose dissolution as implied by electroconductivity measurements of the hydrazine/salt system. Gel and liquid‐crystal formation was observed in all systems above 4 and 6% (w/w) cellulose concentrations, respectively. The values of both critical concentrations were quite similar to those observed in the ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate system studied earlier in our laboratories. The gelation temperature was between approximately 10 and 50 °C, depending on the salt and cellulose concentration. The dependence of the cellulose solubility on the degree of polymerization was also examined. It is suggested that these solvent systems have great potential for the fiber and film formation of cellulose. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 601–611, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10135     

The solubility of cellulose in liquid ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate solutions: Thermoreversible gelation and a preliminary report on fiber formation

The melting temperatures of thermoreversible gels formed from solutions of cellulose in liquid ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate mixtures were measured over a volume fraction range of .01–.004. Three samples of cellulose with M_w ranging from 1 × 10⁵ to 1.64 × 10⁵ were used. The findings show that the structural makeup of the gels is strongly reflected in their time-dependent behavior. The reciprocal of their melting temperature is a nearly linear function of the logarithm of the cellulose concentration. The relation between the logarithm of M_w and the reciprocal temperature of gel melting was also nearly linear. Exothermic heats of reaction ranging from 150 to 460 kcal/mol were calculated from the Ferry-Eldridge relationship (? ln C/?) = ΔH_x/R for the formation of cross-links, assuming that they result from a binary association of chains. It is inferred that the cross-linking loci in the gel were crystallites that consisted of glucose units. In addition, an initial study is reported of the fiber-forming potential of the liquid ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate system. Rudimentary fiber extrusion from a modified syringe was readily demonstrated. Operable coagulation systems involved proton-donating agents as well as methanol. Tenacities of these unstretched, as spun fibers, ranged as high as 0.89 g/d.     

Effects of phenolic compounds on gelation behavior of gelatin gels

The effects of phenolic additives on the gelation behavior of gelatin gels were investigated using thermomechanical analysis (TMA) for study of gel‐melting temperature, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for study of gel‐storage modulus and gel‐aging stability, viscometry for study of gelation time, and texture analyzer for study of gel strength and gel melting. Thermodynamically, the addition of 1,3‐benzenediol, 1,4‐benzenediol or 1,3,5‐benzenetriol favored the gelation process of gelatin solutions (increases in T_m and aging stability) due to the introduction of extra physical crosslinks among gelatin chains through hydrogen bonding, while the addition of 1,2‐benzenediol had a negative effect (decreases in T_m and aging stability) possibly due to intra‐hydrogen bonding of the additive molecule itself. All the phenolic compounds had little effect on gel moduli. Kinetically, the introduction of 1,2‐benzenediol or 1,4‐benzenediol slowed the gelation process, while introduction of catechin, a polyphenol, accelerated the first stage of the gelation process. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 224–231, 2001     

Study of the Gelation Process of Polyethylene Oxidea–Polypropylene Oxideb–Polyethylene OxideaCopolymer (Poloxamer 407) Aqueous Solutions

The gelation process of polyethylene oxide_a–polypropylene oxide_b–polyethylene oxide_acopolymer (poloxamer 407) aqueous solutions is studied by means of FTIR spectroscopy, rheology, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The C–O–C stretching bands of infrared spectra were found to shift toward higher wavenumbers with sol–gel transition, indicating that hydrogen bonding is not the driving force for gelation. Linear viscoelastic data provide an alternative method for gel point determination of these thermoreversible gels. The results obtained with this method are found to coincide with those obtained using DSC. Gel point temperatures determined by these methods are close to 14°C for 25% (w/w) poloxamer 407 solutions and 10°C for 30% (w/w) solutions. In gel state, the elastic modulus (G′) and dynamic viscosity (η*) are found to be concentration and temperature independent for temperatures ranging from 20 to 35°C. In light of our results, we suggest a mechanism of gelation based on micelles packing and entanglements.     

Lyotropic mesophase of cellulose in ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate solution

Solutions of cellulose in a mixture of 27:73 (w/w) of liquid ammonia and ammonium thiocyanate become liquid crystalline at room temperature above a certain critical concentration which depends on the degree of polymerization of the dissolved cellulose. The high optical rotations of the solution suggest that the cellulose mesophase is cholesteric in nature. In the two-phase region, the cellulose solutions exhibit negatively birefringent spherulites that possess both ringed and nonringed internal structures. The anisotropic solutions can be oriented by shear, indicating high potential for spinning them into useful fibers.     

Thermoreversible gelation of solutions of vinyl polymers

The thermoreversible gelation of solutions of isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) is investigated. Amorphous gels can be prepared in l-butanol by a combination of a liquid-liquid demixing with an upper critical demixing temperature and a glass transition. Annealing of the demixed solutions above their glass transition temperature T_G, results in the formation of a crystalline gel. In oxylene, crystalline gels are formed by a liquid-liquid demixing with an lower critical demixing temperature and an annealing at room temperature. Very fast gelation is observed to occur far below room temperature in solvents like 2-butanone.     

Light-scattering studies on solutions of cellulose in the ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate solvent system. I. Classical light-scattering

This article reports the use of classical light scattering to study cellulose in the NH3/NH4SCN solvent system. Three solvent compositions were used, 27.01 73.0,25.5/ 74.5, and 24.51 75.5 weight ammonia/weight ammonium thiocyanate. The coefficient, (dn/dc)_υ, was determined by back calculating using the molecular weight determined by solution viscometry in the solvent system cupriethylenediamine and the classical light-scattering results. Second virial coefficients were found to be similar to those values measured for cellulose in the FeTNa and LiCl/DMAC solvent systems. The characteristic ratios were found to vary with solvent composition with the highest values being at a composition of 25.5/74.5 weight ammonia/ weight ammonium thiocyanate. Persistence lengths were also found to vary with solvent composition with the highest value being 264 × 10^?8 cm at solvent composition 25.5/74.5.     

Influences of nonsolvent and temperature on critical viscoelastic behaviors of ternary polyacrylonitrile solutions around the sol-gel threshold

Viscoelastic experiments were performed to study the influence of nonsolvent and temperature on critical viscoelastic behaviors of ternary polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solutions around the sol-gel threshold. The dynamic critical parameters around the sol-gel threshold were determined using dynamic rheometer. The sol-gel transition takes place at a critical gel temperature at which the scaling law of G′(ω) ∼ G″(ω) ∝ ωⁿ holds, allowing an accurate determination of the critical gel temperature by means of the frequency independence of the loss tangent. Although the gel points of PAN solutions increase with increasing H₂O content, the results show that the scaling exponent n at the gel point is found to be universal for all ternary PAN solutions, which is independent of temperature and H₂O content, indicating the similarity of the fractal structure in the critical PAN gels. The gelation of ternary PAN solutions induced by adding a nonsolvent and by decreasing the temperature is demonstrated to be a thermoreversible process, which implies that the PAN gels are physical gels. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2637–2643, 2008     

Electro‐optic effects and phase behavior of liquid‐crystalline physical gels: self‐assembly of hydrogen‐bonded molecules for the formation of dynamically functional composites

Anisotropic physical gels of liquid crystals are obtained by the formation of non‐covalently‐bonded networks through self‐organization of low molecular weight compounds in nematic solvents. They exhibit thermoreversible transitions between isotropic liquid and isotropic gel, and between isotropic gel and liquid‐crystalline gel, whose temperatures are dependent on the components. Electro‐optic properties of liquid‐crystalline gels are examined with twisted nematic cells. A nematic liquid crystal in a gel structure can respond to electric fields twice faster than a single liquid‐crystalline component.     

The poor solubility of ureidopyrimidone can be used to form gels of low molecular weight N-alkyl urea oligomers in organic solvents

A synthesis strategy for low molecular weight organogelators using the ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) group is reported. The prepared gelators showed robust thermal reversible gelation abilities in various solvents, including dimethyl sulfoxide. The morphology of the dried gels was determined using scanning electron microscopy, revealing a macroscopic porous structure of the gels. Rheology was performed to determine storage (G′) and loss modulus (G″) confirming network gel structures.     

Sol-Gel Transition and Equilibrium Shear Modulus of Poly(vinyl chloride) and Plasticizers

The elasticity of poly(vinyl chloride) gels with molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n), of 2.16 have been studied in the region beyond their gel points. Dynamic storage modulus G′, and equilibrium gel shear modulus of elasticity G_e, at low frequencies (ω) have specific developments as a function of polymer concentrations c, and plasticizers. The scaling elasticity from G_e = kε^z equation holds at different PVC plasticizer gels. The scaling exponent z, and constant k. ε is defined as the relative distance, ε = (|c − c_g|)/c_g, the calculated z = 2.45 ± 0.15. Furthermore, this analysis provides constant k with certain informations about the dependency of gel elasticity on the kind of plasticizer. Near the sol-gel transition temperature T, G_e decreases rapidly with increasing temperature. The normalized moduli G_eM/cRT, of the gels at different temperature, and/or c were dependent on the relative distance from the gelation point ε, and PVC and plasticizers concentration respectively. These results suggested mesh size of gel network near the gelation point for PVC with bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DOP) or di-n-butyl sebacate (DBS) plasticizers that has been newly reported.     

Synthetic thermally reversible gel systems. II

The homopolymer and many of the copolymers of N-acrylylglycinamide yield thermally reversible gels in water. These systems are uniquely suitable for studying synthetic photographic gelatin substitutes and for understanding the mechanism of the gelation process. Polymerization of N-acrylylglycinamide has been studied under a variety of conditions. The homopolymer is aggregated in dilute aqueous solution and probably molecularly dispersed in 2M thiocyanate solution. At concentrations of several per cent, in water, thermally reversible gels are formed whose melting points rise with increasing concentration and increasing molecular weight. The heat of gelation crosslinking has been calculated to be ?8.8 kcal./mole of crosslinks. Introduction of small amounts of carboxyl groups into the polymer raises the melting points of the aqueous gels. The effect of various organic and inorganic reagents on gelation is presented. The ability to prepare copolymers which can be flocculated has been demonstrated as well as the usefulness of the monomer in certain types of photoresist systems. Copolymerization with acrylic acid and β-aminoethyl vinyl ether has been studied, and the r₁ and r₂ values for these systems have been calculated as well as Q and e values for N-acrylylglycinamide.     

Gelation behavior of cellulose in NaOH/urea aqueous system via cross-linking

Sol–gel transition of cellulose solution in NaOH/urea aqueous solution with the addition of epichlorohydrin (ECH) was investigated by rheological means. The gelation was controlled by a synergy of chemical and physical cross-linking processes, namely, the etherification reaction between cellulose and ECH as well as the self-association and entanglement of cellulose chains via hydrogen bonding re-construction in NaOH/urea. The results revealed that the cross-linker concentration, cellulose concentration and temperature played important roles in the gelation behavior. The gel time decreased with increasing either ECH or cellulose concentration, and the gel temperature dropped from 38 to 28 °C with an increase of cellulose concentration from 4 to 6 wt%, i. e. easier gelation was reached with higher cross-linker concentration, cellulose concentration or temperature, since higher cross-linker or cellulose concentration led to more network junctions via chemical or physical cross-linking, while higher temperature was favorable to both the etherification reaction and re-construction of cellulose hydrogen bonds. The compressive modulus of cellulose/ECH hydrogels was improved a lot by increasing either cellulose or ECH concentration, indicating the chemical cross-linking obviously improved the mechanical property, on the other hand, the swelling property could be tunable by changing the gelation parameter. This work supplied useful information to the control and optimization of the structure and properties of cellulose based hydrogels.     

Extensional rheology of cellulose/NaOH/urea/H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O solutions

The extensional flow behaviors of cellulose/NaOH/urea/H₂O solution were investigated by using capillary breakup extensional rheometry (CaBER). The effects of temperature, storage time and cellulose concentrations on both the storage modulus G′ and the loss modulus G″ were also analyzed. For 2 wt% cellulose solution, the G′, G″ and filament lifetime remained unchanged after long storage time. While, for 4 wt% cellulose solution, physical gels could form at either higher temperature or for longer storage time, and the filament lifetime, the relaxation time (λ _e ) and the initial extensional viscosity (η _e0) first increased and then decreased with increase of the storage time. The transition points of the filament lifetime shifted to lower storage time with the increase of the temperature. The η _e0 is proportional to λ _e . The results presented suggest that the extensional properties of the cellulose/NaOH/urea/H₂O solution first increase and then decrease during the gelation process, and the spinning time, which decreases linearly with the increase in the storage temperature, must be controlled below the time that η _e0 starts to decrease.     

Anisotropic networks, elastomers and gels

Anisotropic networks, elastomers and gels exhibit piezoelectric, pyroelectric, ferroelectric and NLO properties of potential interest for use communication and processing technologies. The formation, properties and applications of such anisotropic, mainly liquid crystalline, networks are described. If some of the molecules in a liquid mixture contain at least two reactive groups which can be either photochemically or thermally polymerized, then crosslinked, anisotropic networks, elastomers and gels can be produced. Solid macroscopically aligned elastomers or networks can be formed as required beforehand or simultaneously by orientation of the sample. Anisotropic gels consist of a solid anisotropic network and non-covalently bonded, but strongly oriented domains of low molar mass liquid crystals. Anisotropic networks, elastomers preformed amorphous or liquid crystalline polymers incorporating additional reactive groups, which can be macroscopically oriented in the additional crosslinking reactions. Reversible networks, elastomers and gels can be prepared either non-covalently or covalently by thermally side group polymers and low molar mass molecules, liquid crystalline properties in the pure state. in many electro-optic devices for optical and gels can be prepared from liquid crystalline state and then fixed by reversible linkages between, for example, neither of which necessarily exhibit