Picosecond rotational reorientation of cresyl violet in polymer solution

Picosecond absorption spectroscopy has been used to study the rotational reorientation of cresyi violet in methanol solutions containing poly(ethylene oxide). The increase in the rotational reorientation time with increasing polymer concentration can be attributed to the short-range hydrodynamic interactions between the dye and entangled polymer chains.     

Rheology of aqueous poly(ethylene oxide) solutions reinforced with bentonite clay

The rheological properties of bentonite clay-filled aqueous solutions of high-molecular-mass poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) have been studied. The PEO solution is a typical polymer solution characterized by the highest Newtonian viscosity and the range of non-Newtonian flow. The addition of small amounts of bentonite to the PEO solution causes passage to a viscoplastic behavior that manifests itself as the appearance of the yield stress. Therewith, the flow at the highest Newtonian viscosity in the region of low shear stresses (rather than rates) remains possible. After passing through the yield stress, the effect of antithixotropy, i.e., an increase in the viscosity with the deformation rate in a certain shear rate region, has been observed for the multicomponent systems. The data obtained have been interpreted assuming that the addition of the solid filler to the polymer solution destroys the random network of entanglements between macromolecules, while the presence of the polymer in the clay suspension reduces the strength of the coagulation structure of bentonite.     

On the use of the activation energy concept to investigate analyte and network deformations in entangled polymer solution capillary electrophoresis of synthetic polyelectrolytes

The activation energy associated with the electrophoretic migration of an analyte under given electrolyte conditions can be accessed through the determination of the analyte electrophoretic mobility at various temperatures. In the case of the electrophoretic separation of polyelectrolytes in the presence of an entangled polymer network, activation energy can be regarded as the energy needed by the analyte to overcome the obstacles created by the separating network. Any deformation undergone by the analyte or the network is expected to induce a decrease in the activation energy. In this work, the electrophoretic mobilities of poly(styrenesulfonates) (PSSs) of various molecular weights (Mr 16 x 10(3) to 990 x 10(3)) were determined in entangled polyethylene oxide (PEO) solutions as a function of temperature (in the 17-60 degrees C range) and the PSS activation energies were calculated. The influences of the PSS molecular weight, blob sizes zetab of the separating network (related to the PEO concentration), ionic strength of the electrolyte and electric field strength (75-600 V/cm) were investigated. The results were interpreted in terms of analyte and network deformations and were confronted with those previously obtained for DNA migration in polymer solutions and chemical gels. For a radius of gyration Rgzetab, suggesting PSS and network deformations in the latter case. Increasing ionic strength resulted in an increase in the PSS activation energy, because of the decrease of their radii of gyration, which makes them less deformable. Finally, the activation energies of all the PSSs are a decreasing function of field strength and at high field strength tend to reach a constant value close to that for a small molecule.     

Effect of temperature on the intrinsic viscosity of poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends in aqueous solutions

In this work the intrinsic viscosity of poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends in aqueous solutions were measured at 283.1–313.1 K. The expansion factor of polymer chain was calculated by use of the intrinsic viscosities data. The thermodynamic parameters of polymer solution (the entropy of dilution parameter, the heat of dilution parameter, theta temperature, polymer–solvent interaction parameter and second osmotic virial coefficient) were evaluated by temperature dependence of polymer chain expansion factor. The obtained thermodynamic parameters indicate that quality of water was decreased for solutions of poly(ethylene oxide), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) and poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends by increasing temperature. Compatibility of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends were explained in terms of difference between experimental and ideal intrinsic viscosity and solvent–polymer interaction parameter. The results indicate that the poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends were incompatible.     

Dipole moments of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(hexamethylene oxide) chains

The mean-square dipole moments of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(hexamethylene oxide) chains have been determined from dielectric constant measurements on dilute solutions of the polymers in benzene. The values obtained are in good agreement with those predccted using the rotational isomeric state models for these chains. In addition, the unperturbed dimensions of poly(hexamethylene oxide) have been calculated as a function of molecular weight, using the isomeric state theory.     

Viscosity enhancement of complexed solutions formed through the complexation of nonionic water‐soluble polymers with chemically complementary structures in aqueous media

The intermacromolecular complexation of polymers with chemically complementary structures in aqueous media is a new approach to modifying polymer solutions, especially to enhance solution viscosity. In this study, complexed solutions formed through the hydrogen‐bonding complexation of several nonionic water‐soluble polymer pairs—poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with polyacrylamide (PAM), PAM with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), PAA with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and PEO with PVA—were prepared, and the viscosity enhancement of the complexed solutions were studied with vision spectrophotometry and viscometry. The effects of the polymer concentration, polymer molecular weight, and pH value of the polymer solution on the intermacromolecular interactions were investigated through a comparison of the viscosity enhancement factor R of different complexed solutions. The results show that the viscosity of the PAA/PAM complexed solution is much higher than that of its constituents, whereas that of the PAM/PEO and the PAA/PVA complexed solutions are between the viscosities of their constituents but are higher than the theory values calculated from the blending rule of two polymer solutions. These results indicate that in the complexed solutions there exist interactions between the macromolecules with chemically complementary structures, although the interactions are quite different for the different complexed systems. It is the interactions that lead to an association of the polymers and, hence, an obvious enhancement in the solution viscosity and the resistance of the polymer solutions to shearing. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1069–1077, 2000     

Rheological Properties of Hydrophobically Modified Poly(acrylic acid) in Mixed Solutions

Hydrophobically modified poly(acrylic acid) (HMPA) with single-tailed pendant side groups was prepared by precipitation polymerization. The effects of polymer concentration, surfactant and co-solvent on the solution properties of HMPA were investigated. HMPA solutions showed good viscosity enhancement and typical shear thinning behavior with increasing concentration. The surfactant TX-10 and co-solvent ethylene glycol gave rise to factors that changed the hydrophobic interactions and in turn the rheology behavior of the solutions. The transient associative network of HMPA in ethylene glycol + water mixed solutions was retained as the temperature was decreased to below 0 °C.     

聚氧化乙烯水溶液粘度的测定

测定了不同分子量聚氧化乙烯(PEO)在水溶液中的粘度，发现在低浓度区高分子溶液比浓粘度出现负偏离。用高分子溶液流过时间对浓度作图的外推值t0^*重新计算相对粘度，则高分子溶液比浓粘度与浓度之间满足线性关系。不同分子量PEO水溶液流过时间对浓度作图的外推值t0^*是完全一致的。利用纯溶剂在粘度计中流过时间的改变确定了高分子在毛细管管壁上吸附层的厚度，发现PEO在毛细管管壁上吸附层厚度与分子量无关。     

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     

Onset conditions for bicontinuity of domain structure in polymeric fluids

Recent investigations have somewhat clarified a supermolecular organization of polymeric fluids. Specifically, it has been found that at certain conditions water solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) are two-phase fluids. As molecular weight increases one of two phases—the phase rich in polymer—first separates out as scattered globules. Then it builds up a liquid–crystalline fibrillar network. This network produces characteristic properties of PEO solutions: shear-thinning, elasticity, dynamic birefringence, macromolecular destruction. Most likely, similar properties of other polymeric fluids are generated in an analogous way. In this work for the same system, experiments have been pursued to find a surface that separates in the “intrinsic viscosity, concentration, temperature” space regions of the globular and the network state. Two methods were used. The first one is based on the fact that scission of PEO molecules stops at transition from the network state to the globular state. The second method employs the fact that only the network solutions possess shear-thinning properties. Previously published results are also used. The action of temperature was not detected. With increasing the intrinsic viscosity, the boundary concentration decreases. Data reveal that by dilution one can always obtain a solution in which PEO is not susceptible to destruction. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3208–3216, 1999     

Time dependence of shear and normal stresses of polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide) solutions

The time dependence of shear and normal stresses during constant shearing of some polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide) solutions in Aroclor 1248 was measured by means of a Weissenberg rheogoniometer. The stresses of the poly(ethylene oxide) solutions first increase rapidly with the increase of strain, then decrease to a value lower than the value in the stationary state, pass another maximum smaller than the first one, and finally reach a steady value. At the end of the shearing of these solutions at high shear rates, the formation of aggregates was clearly evident. The polystyrene solutions became time-dependent only after a certain shear rate and then showed a rheopectic behavior. The difference in behavior is explained qualitatively by the differing tendencies of these polymer chains to form a network.     

Competitive adsorption of neutral comb polymers and sodium dodecyl sulfate at the air/water interface

The interfacial behavior of aqueous solutions of four different neutral polymers in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been investigated by surface tension measurements and ellipsometry. The polymers comprised linear poly(ethylene oxide) with low and high molecular masses (10(3) and 10(6) Dalton (Da), respectively), and two high molecular mass methacrylate-based comb polymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) side chains. The adsorption isotherms of SDS, determined by Gibbs analysis of surface tension data, are nearly the same in the presence of the high molecular mass linear polymer and the comb polymers. Analysis of the ellipsometric data reveals that while a single surface layer model is appropriate for films of polymer alone, a more sophisticated interfacial layer model is necessary for films of SDS alone. For the polymer/surfactant mixtures, a novel semiempirical approach is proposed to determine the surface excess of polymer, and hence quantify the interfacial composition, through analysis of data from the two techniques. The replacement of the polymer due to surfactant adsorption is much less pronounced for the high molecular mass linear polymer and for the comb polymers than for the low molecular mass linear polymer. This finding is rationalized by the significantly higher adsorption driving force of the larger polymer molecules as well as by their more amphiphilic structure in the case of the comb polymers.     

Competitive adsorption of nonionic surfactant and nonionic polymer on silica

Competitive adsorption of the nonionic polymer poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and the nonionic surfactant of the type poly(ethylene oxide) alkyl ether from aqueous solutions on a silica surface is examined. From one-component solutions, both species readily adsorb onto silica and, in the bulk of mixed (two-component) solutions, polymer-surfactant complexes are not observed. Because both species bind by the same mechanism to silica, subtle differences in layer structure, or other species-specific parameters, determine whether one or both of the species will adsorb. It was found that various surfactants can displace PEO up to a certain critical molecular weight. Surfactants with a high aggregation number, in bulk and on the surface, can displace PEO with a higher molar mass than surfactants with a low aggregation number. As the molar mass of the polymer increases, the time a surfactant needs to completely displace the polymer increases. We can explain both the existence of the critical molar mass and the decrease in adsorption kinetics with a shift in the critical surface association concentration (CSAC).     

An investigation of a sol-gel/melt transition: the poly(ethylene oxide)/methanol/LiClO4 system

The crossover behavior of 50 000 molar mass poly(ethylene oxide)/methanol solutions from dilute solution to the melt/gel was examined. At first this behavior was investigated without LiClO(4) and then reexamined with LiClO(4). To better understand this behavior, the dependencies of dynamic light scattering (specifically, photon correlation spectroscopy) measurement results on polymer concentration, on the scattering wave vector and on temperature, and the dependence of static light scattering results on the scattering wave vector were studied. This study produced interesting and important results about network structure and behavior in poly(ethylene oxide) solutions and melts generally and about the effects of LiClO(4) on this structure and behavior more particularly.     

聚丙烯酸/聚氧化乙烯高分子复合溶液的结构与粘度

通过溶液折光指数和粘度测定,研究了聚丙烯酸（ＰＡＡ）与聚氧化乙烯（ＰＥＯ）高分子链间在复合溶液中的相互作用和ＰＡＡ／ＰＥＯ高分子氢键复合溶液的结构与粘度,研究了复合溶液粘度随溶液ｐＨ值的变化规律及不同浓度时剪切速率对复合溶液粘度和复合增粘效果的影响。结果表明：ＰＡＡ／ＰＥＯ复合溶液结构不同于ＰＡＡ和ＰＥＯ两组分聚合物溶液结构,ＰＡＡ与ＰＥＯ高分子链间的氢键相互作用形成构象更为伸展、流体力学体积列大     

Surface properties of bottle-brush polyelectrolytes on mica: effects of side chain and charge densities

Surface properties of a series of cationic bottle-brush polyelectrolytes with 45-unit-long poly(ethylene oxide) side chains were investigated by phase modulated ellipsometry and surface force measurements. The evaluation of the adsorbed mass of polymer on mica by means of ellipsometry is complex due to the transparency of mica and its birefringence and low dielectric constant. We therefore employed a new method to overcome these difficulties. The charge and the poly(ethylene oxide) side chain density of the bottle-brush polymers were varied from zero charge density and one side chain per segment to one charge per segment and no side chains, thus spanning the realm from a neutral bottle-brush polymer, via a partly charged brush polyelectrolyte, to a linear fully charged polyelectrolyte. The adsorption properties depend crucially on the polymer architecture. A minimum charge density of the polymer is required to facilitate adsorption to the oppositely charged surface. The maximum adsorbed amount and the maximum side chain density at the surface are obtained for the polymer with 50% charged segments and the remaining 50% of the segments carrying poly(ethylene oxide) side chains. It is found that brushlike layers are formed when 25-50% of the segments carry poly(ethylene oxide) side chains. In this paper, we argue that the repulsion between the side chains results in an adsorbed layer that is non-homogeneous on the molecular level. As a result, not all side chains will contribute equally to the steric repulsion but some will be stretched along the surface rather than perpendicular to it. By comparison with linear polyelectrolytes, it will be shown that the presence of the side chains counteracts adsorption. This is due to the entropic penalty of confining the side chains to the surface region.     

Reduced viscosity polymer matrices for microchip electrophoresis of double-stranded DNA

On a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microchip, double-stranded DNA fragments with a wide size range from 50 bp to 20 kbp were separated by two polymer solutions. One was a hydroxypropylmethylcellulose-4000 (HPMC-4000) solution of 1.3% (w/v) to separate fragments below 590 bp, and another was a mixed four molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) solution at a total concentration of 0.1% to separate fragments above 520 bp. The widths at half height (wh) of the fragments had a good relationship with their migration times (tR) in both polymer solutions. Such a relationship was suitable for obtaining the wh values of unresolved peaks, calculating the resolution of two adjacent fragments, and optimizing microchip separation matrices. Based on the relativity, a low viscosity medium containing 2% HPMC-50 and 8% glucose was optimized for high-performance separation of a phiX174 HaeIII restriction fragment digest.     

Hydrolytic polycondensation of alkoxysilanes and modification of polymerization reactions

Polymers having oxide network chains are produced by hydrolytic polycondensation of metal alkoxides and alkoxysilanes. Molecular morphology and molecular size distribution of these inorganic polymers are strongly affected by certain nonchemical parameters. Included among these parameters is the molecular separation of interacting species during the polymerization. There is strong evidence that the molecular size expansion occurs by two distinct processes: initially by a gradual “growth” process, and later by “recombination” of high-molecular weight species. The later process often leads to a bi-modal molecular size distribution. The concentration of water-rich siloxane solutions leads to significant molecular size expansion by further oxide network formation. No similar polymer size growth occurs during the concentration of alcohol based solutions. This difference in the polymeric activities can be related to the difference in the terminal bond under the two different conditions.     

Structure and rheology of hyperbranched and dendritic polymers. II. Effects of blending acetylated and hydroxy‐terminated poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers with aqueous poly(ethylene oxide) solutions

The effect of adding acetylated poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers to the structure and rheology of aqueous solutions of high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was investigated by rheology and small‐angle neutron scattering in a temperature range of 10–40 °C. In the semidilute regime, the steady shear rheology of PEO solutions was unmodified by the addition of dendrimers at a comparable weight concentration. At the highest concentrations studied, the addition of acetylated dendrimers suppressed the onset of a low‐frequency elastic modulus at the lowest temperature investigated. For comparison, the addition of PEO of a comparable molecular weight at the same weight fraction resulted in a milder suppression but, unlike the dendrimers, greatly increased the solution viscosity. The addition of acetylated dendrimers to a semidilute PEO solution at 10 °C substantially reduced the solution turbidity. These effects on the rheology and optical properties were confirmed by small‐angle neutron scattering measurements of the molecular structure of the mixture. Additional SANS measurements in the dilute regime (0.1 wt % PEO) showed quantitatively that the dendrimers decorated the PEO chains in a necklace structure, such as that observed previously for micelles. The results suggested a mechanism of rheology modification whereby the dendrimers disrupted the association network structure in the PEO solution at lower temperatures by preferentially associating with the PEO chains in solution. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 874–882, 2000     

Strain Hardening and Strain Softening of Reversibly Cross-linked Supramolecular Polymer Networks

The large amplitude oscillatory shear behavior of metallo-supramolecular polymer networks formed by adding bis-Pd(II) cross-linkers to poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution is reported. The influence of scanning frequency, dissociation rate of cross-linkers, concentration of cross-linkers, and concentration of PVP solution on the large amplitude oscillatory shear behavior is explored. In semidilute unentangled PVP solutions, above a critical scanning frequency, strain hardening of both storage moduli and loss moduli is observed. In the semidilute entangled regime of PVP solution, however, strain softening is observed for samples with faster cross-linkers (k(d) ～ 1450 s(-1)), whereas strain hardening is observed for samples with slower cross-linkers (k(d) ～ 17 s(-1)). The mechanism of strain hardening is attributed primarily to a strain-induced increase in the number of elastically active chains, with possible contributions from non-Gaussian stretching of polymer chains at strains approaching network fracture. The divergent strain softening of samples with faster cross-linkers in semidilute entangled PVP solutions, relative to the strain hardening of samples with slower cross-linkers, is consistent with observed shear thinning/shear thickening behavior reported previously and is attributed to the fact that the average time that a cross-linker remains detached is too short to permit the local relaxation of polymer chain segments that is necessary for a net conversion of elastically inactive to elastically active cross-linkers. These and other observations paint a picture in which strain softening and shear thinning arise from the same set of molecular mechanisms, conceptually uniting the two nonlinear responses for this system.