Roles of polymer-solvent complexes in conformational ordering of polymer molecules dispersed in gels

On gelation of crystallizable stereoregular polystyrenes (isotactic IPS and syndiotactic SPS), highly ordered skeletal conformations of particular types characteristic of the respective polymer are formed. The conformational orderliness is evaluated in the absolute scale through quantitative analysis of infrared absorption bands due to the respective ordered conformation. The kinetic and/or thermodynamic behaviors of gelation process and the accompanied conformational ordering are strongly influenced by solvent. Solvent effect on the aggregation state formed in SPS gels has been investigated by means of small angle neutron scattering and discussed in relation to the gelation rate. In some solvents, two different ordering processes, gelation and crystallization, proceed in a competitive way. On the basis of these experimental facts, the roles of specific polymer-solvent interactions in gels are considered from the viewpoint of molecular-level structure.     

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks with controllable morphology - arrest of demixing by thermoreversible gelation

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks with well defined morphologies were obtained using a three-step process, separating morphology formation and polymerization/crosslinking. Different phase textures were formed when (spinodal) liquid/liquid demixing of a solution of atactic polystyrene in methacrylate monomers was arrested by thermoreversible gelation (vitrification) of the polymer-rich phase at a desired stage. Subsequent UV-polymerization of the methacrylate allowed to study the morphology by transmission electron microscopy. Phase diagrams of polymer solutions with low and high viscosities are reported. Depending on the initial solution viscosities and the applied cooling conditions, morphologies both with a dispersed as well with a continuous polystyrene phase could be obtained at PS concentrations already below 10 %. Mechanical measurements indicated only partial demixing in the semi-IPN's.     

Gel formation in suspensions of oppositely charged colloids: mechanism and relation to the equilibrium phase diagram

We study gel formation in a mixture of equally-sized oppositely charged colloids both experimentally and by means of computer simulations. Both the experiments and the simulations show that the mechanism by which a gel is formed from a dilute, homogeneous suspension is an interrupted gas-liquid phase separation. Furthermore, we use Brownian dynamics simulations to study the relation between gel formation and the equilibrium phase diagram. We find that, regardless of the interaction range, an interrupted liquid-gas phase separation is observed as the system is quenched into a state point where the gas-liquid separation is metastable. The structure of the gel formed in our experiments compares well with that of a simulated gel, indicating that gravity has only a minor influence on the local structure of this type of gel. This is supported by the experimental evidence that gels squeezed or stretched by gravity have similar structures, as well as by the fact that gels do not collapse as readily as in the case of colloid-polymer mixtures. Finally, we check whether or not crystallites are formed in the gel branches; we find crystalline domains for the longer ranged interactions and for moderate quenches to the metastable gas-liquid spinodal regime.     

Spinodal phase separation in semi-interpenetrating polymer networks—polystyrene-cross-polymethacrylate

Morphology control in semi-interpenetrating polymer networks has been achieved by means of a two-step process, separating morphology formation and polymerization/crosslinking. Phase textures formed during spinodal liquid/liquid demixing of a solution of atactic polystyrene in methacrylate monomers were arrested by thermoreversible gelation of the polymer-rich phase as this phase passed its glass transition temperature. The phase separated structure was permanently stabilized by low-temperature crosslinking ultraviolet (UV) polymerization of the methacrylate monomer, and studied by transmission electron microscopy. Thus, it was directly observed how the initial demixing process depended on the initial viscosity of the polymer solution and the mode of quenching. Arrest of the earliest stage of spinodal demixing resulted in separated domains of 0.05–0.08 μm thickness, which were separated by a distance of the spinodal wavelength λ. A cocontinuous network only developed in a relatively late stage of demixing. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and phase behavior of a confined nanodroplet composed of the flexible chain molecules

A polymer density functional theory has been employed for investigating the structure and phase behaviors of the chain polymer, which is modelled as the tangentially connected sphere chain with an attractive interaction, inside the nanosized pores. The excess free energy of the chain polymer has been approximated as the modified fundamental measure-theory for the hard spheres, the Wertheim's first-order perturbation for the chain connectivity, and the mean-field approximation for the van der Waals contribution. For the value of the chemical potential corresponding to a stable liquid phase in the bulk system and a metastable vapor phase, the flexible chain molecules undergo the liquid-vapor transition as the pore size is reduced; the vapor is the stable phase at small volume, whereas the liquid is the stable phase at large volume. The wide liquid-vapor coexistence curve, which explains the wide range of metastable liquid-vapor states, is observed at low temperature. The increase of temperature and decrease of pore size result in a narrowing of liquid-vapor coexistence curves. The increase of chain length leads to a shift of the liquid-vapor coexistence curve towards lower values of chemical potential. The coexistence curves for the confined phase diagram are contained within the corresponding bulk liquid-vapor coexistence curve. The equilibrium capillary phase transition occurs at a higher chemical potential than in the bulk phase.     

Phase diagram of complex fluids using an efficient integral equation method

We present an adaptive technique for the determination of the phase diagram of fluids within the integral equation theory. It enables an efficient and accurate systematic mapping of the thermodynamic space in order to construct the binodal and spinodal lines. Results are obtained with the thermodynamically consistent integral equation proposed by Sarkisov [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 9496 (2001)] within the tangent linear technique that yields an exact differentiation of correlation functions. The generality of the numerical approach is assessed by determining both the liquid-vapor coexistence and the critical parameters of the generalized Lennard-Jones (n,6) potentials with varying repulsive part, including the hard-sphere limit.     

The concentration dependence of the compression modulus of iostactic polystyrene/cis-decalin gels

New results for isotactic polystyrene/cis-decalin gels are presented that suggest that a simple fringed micellar model of the gel may not be appropriate. In measuring the room temperature compressive modulus of gels formed at ?20°C, it was found that, not only do the gels exhibit significant stress relaxation but also that the isochronal modulus-concentration diagrams exhibit abrupt changes in modulus (reduced stress) over narrow ranges in concentration rather than the smooth curves (straight lines) typical of swollen rubber and fringed micellar gels.     

Universality in eight-arm star polystyrene and methylcyclohexane mixtures near the critical point

Measurements of the coexistence curve and turbidity were made on different molecular mass samples of the branched polymer-solvent system eight-arm star polystyrene in methylcyclohexane near its critical point. We confirmed that these systems belong in the Ising universality class. The location of the critical temperature and composition as well as the correlation length, susceptibility, and coexistence curve amplitudes were found to depend on molecular mass and the degree of branching. The coexistence curve diameter had an asymmetry that followed a "complete scaling" approach. All the coexistence curve data could be scaled onto a common curve with one adjustable parameter. We found the coexistence curve amplitude to be about 12% larger for branched than linear polystyrenes of the same molecular mass in either solvent cyclohexane or methylcyclohexane. The two-scale-factor universality ratio R was found to be independent of molecular mass or degree of branching.     

Spinodal Curve for the System Water + 1-Pentanol + 1-Propanol at 25 °C

The liquid–liquid equilibrium data at 25 °C of the system water–1-pentanol–1-propanol, that present a I type solubility gap, have been used to calculate the spinodal curve of this system through the use of the Wheeler–Widom model. As in the case of the water–chloroform–acetic acid system, analyzed with the same model in the past, a local fitting method has been necessary. A procedure based on the experimental position of the plait point was used to obtain the single spinodal points. The relative positions of binodal and spinodal curves indicate the presence of a large metastable area in the alcoholic-rich region.     

Crystallization kinetics of isotactic polystyrene from isotactic-atactic polystyrene blends

In an attempt to facilitate a better understanding of the role of noncrystallizable components on the crystallization kinetics, spherulitic growth rates as well as the morphology and melting behavior of isotactic polystyrene in blends with various molecular weight atactic polystyrenes (900 to 1,800,000) over a wide range of concentrations have been studied. The growth rates are uniformly depressed with increasing amounts of atactic diluent. In addition, they are dependent on the molecular weight of the added polystyrene, generally decreasing in the molecular weight ranges between 4800 and 19,800 and between 51,000 and 1,800,000. However, between these two ranges, anomalous growth rates showing a sudden increase are observed, which may be explained by an increase in the entrapment of the noncrystallizable diluent. An explanation based on morphological observations, which showed an increase in coarseness of the spherulites with increasing molecular weight of the added atactic polystyrene, is offered.     

A finite-size scaling study of a model of globular proteins

Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations are used to explore the metastable fluid-fluid coexistence curve of the modified Lennard-Jones model of globular proteins of ten Wolde and Frenkel [Science, 277, 1975 (1997)]. Using both mixed-field finite-size scaling and histogram-reweighting methods, the joint distribution of density and energy fluctuations is analyzed at coexistence to accurately determine the critical-point parameters. The subcritical coexistence region is explored using the recently developed hyper parallel tempering Monte Carlo simulation method along with histogram reweighting to obtain the density distributions. The phase diagram for the metastable fluid-fluid coexistence curve is calculated in close proximity to the critical point, a region previously unattained by simulations.     

Phase separation during synthesis of polyetherimide/epoxy semi-IPNs

The phase separation behavior and the morphology of polyetherimide (PEI)-modified diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin were studied using scanning electron microscopy and light scattering. Reaction kinetics, cloud point and onset of gelation were determined by differential scanning calorimeter, optical microscope and physica rheometer, respectively. The mixture of partially cured epoxy and PEI showed bimodal upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior. For PEI content smaller than 10 wt%, the blends exhibited a sea-island morphology formed via nucleation and a growth mechanism. Above 25 wt% PEI content, the phase separation proceeded via a spinodal decomposition mechanism and a nodular structure was formed. With PEI content between 15 and 20 wt%, dual phase morphology was observed. This morphology was formed via primary spinodal decomposition and secondary phase separation within the dispersed phases and the matrix phases formed by the primary phase separation. This morphology was presumed to be formed in the reaction-induced phase separation mechanism with the mixture showing bimodal UCST behavior. The curing temperature had an effect on the final morphology, and the modulus of PEI-modified epoxy was influenced by the phase separation.     

Metastable extension of the sublimation curve and the critical contact point

Molecular dynamics methods have been employed in order to calculate the (p,rho,T)-properties and the internal energy of gas and crystal phases in stable and metastable equilibrium coexistence states for a model system consisting of 2048 Lennard-Jones particles. Thermal and caloric equations of state and the spinodal curves of the vapor and crystal phases have been determined. A new algorithm for the computation of phase equilibrium curves is suggested. Employing this method, the sublimation curve and its metastable extension to temperatures above the triple point have been calculated. It is found that the crystal-gas phase equilibrium terminates on the spinodal of the superheated crystal. The point of contact of the sublimation line and the spinodal is a singular point of the thermodynamic surface of states of a simple system considered.     

Crystallization-induced gelation of ethylene/1-butene copolymers over a wide crystallinity range

The crystallization-induced gelation from decalin solutions of a series of ethylene-butene random copolymers covering the range of crystal weight fraction 0.32–0.74 and having nearly equal molar weights has been investigated as a function of concentration. Swollen as well as dried gels have been characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry, mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy. The critical concentration for gelation is shown to be strongly dependent on the crystallinity of the polymers. On the contrary, the critical concentration for chain entanglement is quite invariant. A liquid-liquid phase separation phenomenon prior to the crystallization upon cooling is disclosed for the more crystalline materials. The better solubility of the co-unit rich copolymers is ascribed to a more favorable interaction parameter towards decalin with increasing co-unit content. Common aspects of the gelation process of the copolymers with that of atactic amorphous and isotactic semicrystalline polystyrene are discussed.     

Temperature-Concentration Phase Diagrams in The Study of Thermoreversible Gelation

The contribution of thermal analysis, and particularly of temperature-concentration phase diagrams to the understanding of the phenomenon of thermoreversible gelation is illustrated for two different cases. The important role played by the solvent in the thermoreversible gelation of syndiotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) is emphasized. The heterogeneous nucleation of the gelation of isotactic polystyrene by a self-assembling bicopper complex is presented.     

Control of surface morphology of polypropylene/polystyrene blend pellets prepared by diffusion and subsequent polymerization of styrene in isotactic polypropylene pellets

Inhibitor hydroquinone (HQ) was added to the reaction system to prepare polypropylene/polystyrene (PP/PS) blend pellets without PS on the surface during diffusion and subsequent polymerization of styrene in isotactic polypropylene pellets. The effects of the amount of HQ on diametrical distribution of PS, surface morphology of the pellets and phase morphology inside the blend pellets were investigated.     

Equilibrium phase behavior of the membrane forming water-DMSO-EVAL copolymer system

The equilibrium phase behavior of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVAL) copolymer in mixtures of DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide, solvent) and water (nonsolvent) was studied for different temperatures. Both crystallization-induced gelation and liquid-liquid demixing were observed. From the determined phase diagram of this system at 25°C, three regions may be identified, i.e., a homogeneous region, a gel region, and binodal region in which both types of phase transition take place. At higher temperatures, crystallization isotherm was found to intersect the binodal phase boundary, which is analogous to the phase behavior reported by Stokes and Berghmans for several binary systems.     

Glass transition line in C60: a mode-coupling/molecular-dynamics study

We report a study of the mode-coupling theory (MCT) glass transition line for the Girifalco model of C60 fullerene. The equilibrium static structure factor of the model, the only required input for the MCT calculations, is provided by molecular dynamics simulations. The glass transition line develops inside the metastable liquid-solid coexistence region and extends down in temperature, terminating on the liquid side of the metastable portion of the liquid-vapor binodal. The vitrification locus does not show re-entrant behavior. A comparison with previous computer simulation estimates of the location of the glass line suggests that the theory accurately reproduces the shape of the arrest line in the density-temperature plane. The theoretical HNC and MHNC structure factors (and consequently the corresponding MCT glass line) compare well with the numerical counterpart. Our results confirm the conclusion drawn in previous works about the existence of a glassy phase for the fullerene model at issue.     

Influence of clay on the morphology and phase separation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) blends

The effect of clay on the morphology and phase-separation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styreneco-acrylonitrile)(PMMA/SAN) blends and the variation of clay dispersion have been investigated. With the evolution of phase separation in PMMA/SAN, most of the clays are first located at the boundaries between PMMA and SAN, and then gradually move to the PMMA-rich domain, owing to the affinity of clay to PMMA. The introduction of clay causes the increase of binodal and spinodal temperatures of PMMA/SAN and enlarges their metastable region, indicating the phase stabilizing effect of clay on the matrix. But the influence of clay on the cloud points obviously depends on the composition of PMMA/SAN. The selective adsorption of PMMA on the clay results in the difference between the composition of surface layer and that of polymer matrix. Hence, the clay plays the role of an agent changing the conditions of phase structure formation.