Influence of water on the photodegradation of poly(ethylene oxide)

The UV-light degradation of polyethylene oxide (PEO) in aqueous solution was investigated operating under long wavelengths (λ > 300 nm) at 20 °C in different pH conditions varying from 2.3 to 12.0 and at two different concentrations. Thermo-oxidation experiments on PEO aqueous solution at 50 °C are also reported and compared to photo-oxidation results. The formation of oxidation products was followed by infrared analysis of deposits obtained by evaporation of aliquots of irradiated polymer solution. Photo-oxidation led to formates and esters but a third product was also identified, formic acid ions formed by partial hydrolysis of formates. The degradation of PEO in water led to the acidification of the aquatic medium. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used to monitor the changes in molar weight and intrinsic viscosity with irradiation time. It was shown that the photo-oxidation produced a dramatic decrease of the average molar weights which is more important in acidic medium. Total organic carbon (TOC) measurements of the aged aqueous solutions showed that the mineralization of PEO could not be achieved in these photo-oxidative conditions.     

Swelling of poly(ethylene oxide) gel in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate with added sodium chloride

The swelling behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) gels in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with and without NaCl was investigated. In the absence of NaCl, PEO gels with different degrees of cross-linking began to swell from a concentration lower than the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of SDS, then showed sigmoidal enhancements of swelling in a higher SDS concentration region until the degrees of swelling reached maximum values. The SDS concentration at which the swelling began to appear was in reasonable agreement with the critical aggregation concentration (cac) value reported for the aqueous PEO system. For the cases where NaCl was present, the swelling behavior of PEO gel was different from that when NaCl was absent in the following way. The concentrations where the swelling begins to appear, and hence those where the degree of swelling rises steeply, decreased with an increase in NaCl concentration. The ultimate degrees of swelling at higher concentration regions also decreased with an increase in the NaCl concentration. The lowering of the SDS concentrations at which the PEO gel began to swell is in line with the decreases in the cmc of SDS solutions containing NaCl and also with the decreases in the cac of PEO solution. Electronic Publication     

Titration microcalorimetry of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate in aqueous solutions

Microcalorimetric titrations are carried out on solutions containing the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS), and mixtures of SDBS and the uncharged polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). Measurements are taken at different temperatures. Micellisation of SDBS is driven by hydrophobic bonding. The interaction enthalpy of mixed PVP/SDBS systems shows clearly a consecutive endothermic and exothermic region with increasing surfactant concentration. The endothermic part can be looked upon as an incremental binding isotherm and reflects the number of surfactant molecules involved in the association process. The exothermic region features inverse hydrophobic bonding behaviour. This is related to the flexible nature of the adsorbent, i.e. the polymer. Electrostatic repulsion between neighbouring surfactant molecules causes at increased surfactant concentrations structural rearrangements of the polymer-surfactant complexes. This is accompanied by losing inter- and intrachain linking and entropy gain since the expanded complexes can move more freely. Additional surfactants continue to adsorb on the vacant hydrophobic adsorption sites. The influence of the initial amount of polymer and the electrolyte concentration support our proposals.     

Synthesis and properties of segmented block copolymers based on mixtures of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(tetramethylene oxide) segments

The synthesis and characterisation of segmented block copolymers based on mixtures of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) and hydrophobic poly(tetramethylene oxide) polyether segments and monodisperse crystallisable bisester tetra-amide segments are reported. The PEO length was varied from 600 to 8000 g/mol and the PTMO length was varied from 650 to 2900 g/mol. The influence of the polyether phase composition on the thermal mechanical and the elastic properties of the resulting copolymers was studied.The use of high melting monodisperse tetra-amide segments resulted in a fast and almost complete crystallisation of the rigid segment. The copolymers had only one polyether glass transition temperature, which suggests that the amorphous polyether segments were homogenously mixed. Thermal analysis of the copolymers showed one polyether melting temperature that was lower than in the case of ideal co-crystallisation between the two polyether segments. However, at PEO or PTMO lengths larger than 2000 g/mol two polyether melting temperatures were observed. The copolymer with the best low temperature properties was based on a mixture of PEO and PTMO segments, both having a molecular weight of 1000 g/mol, at a weight ratio of 30/70.     

Structure and properties of new polyester elastomers composed of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene oxide)

Series of PTT-b-PEO copolymers with different composition of rigid PTT and PEO flexible segments were synthesized from dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), 1,3-propanediol (PDO), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, M_n = 1000 g/mol) in a two stage process involving transesterification and polycondensation in the melt. The weight fraction of flexible segments was varied between 20 and 70 wt%. The molecular structure of synthesized copolymers was confirmed by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The superstructure of these polymers was characterized by DSC, DMTA, WAXS and SAXS measurements. It was observed that domains of three types can exist in PTT-b-PEOT copolymers: semi-crystalline PTT, amorphous PEO rich phase (amorphous PEO/PTT blended phase) and semi-crystalline PEO phase. Semi-crystalline PEO phase was observed only at temperature below 0 °C for sample containing the highest concentration of PEO segment. The phase structure, thermal and mechanical properties are effected by copolymer composition. The copolymers containing 30÷70 wt% of PEO segment posses good thermoplastic elastomers properties with high thermal stability. Hardness and tensile strength rise with increase of PTT content in copolymers.     

Interaction between poly(ethylene oxide) and sodium dodecyl sulfonate as studied by surface tension, conductivity, viscosity, electron spin resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance

The aggregation of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (AS) in aqueous solution containing various amounts of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has been investigated by different experimental techniques. The experimental techniques include surface tension, conductivity, viscosity, electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The critical aggregate concentration of AS on polymer strands as well as the concentration where the polymer becomes saturated with surfactant has been determined. Both ESR and NMR results indicate that the AS–PEO complex forms a more “open” structure and that PEO may penetrate into the interior of the micelles. Received: 22 October 1998 Accepted in revised form: 1 April 1999     

Clustering of poly(ethylene oxide) in water revisited

The dynamic light scattering results presented in this letter demonstrate that the clustering of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) can be observed even in ultrapure, freshly double‐distilled and filtered deionized water. It is confirmed that the filtration of solutions removes the clustering structure and that a steady‐state amount of PEO in clusters is reformed in filtered solutions within 24 h. Adding a drop of chloroform to unfiltered aqueous solutions of PEO temporarily alters the clustering structure, but it prevents the clustering of PEO in filtered solutions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 135–138, 2003     

A DSC study of effect of carbon nanotubes on crystallisation behaviour of poly(ethylene oxide)

Crystallisation behaviour of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and PEO/chemically modified MWCNT nanocomposites were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry. Non-isothermal crystallisation experiments showed that incorporation of MWCNT and chemically modified MWCNT reduced the crystallinity and restricted the spherical crystal growth of PEO. The nucleation sites decrease and spherical crystal size increased compared to the neat PEO. Change of crystal structure from spherical to disk-like was revealed by Avrami equation when MWCNT was added up to 1 wt.%.     

Photodegradation studies of novel biodegradable blends based on poly(ethylene oxide) and pectin

Blends of two biodegradable polymers: natural pectin and synthetic poly(ethylene oxide) at different weight-ratios were obtained by physical mixing in aqueous solutions, and evaporation of the solvent. The macromolecular order in the composites was investigated by applying X-ray diffraction, while the surface morphology was observed using atomic force microscopy. The photooxidative degradation of the blends was studied by viscometry, FTIR spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. It has been found that the susceptibility of the studied composites to UV radiation depends on an appropriate ratio of components, and the most sensitive to UV-irradiation among the samples studied was the equal weight-ratio blend of poly(ethylene oxide)/pectin.     

The Synthesis of Poly(ethylene oxide)-Block-Polybutylacrylate

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Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable aliphatic copolyesters with poly(ethylene oxide) soft segments

A series of multiblock poly(ether-ester)s based on poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) as the hard segments and hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the soft segments was synthesized with the aim of developing degradable polymers which could combine the mechanical properties of high performance elastomers with those of flexible plastics. The aliphatic poly(ether-ester)s were synthesized by the catalyzed two-step transesterification reaction of dimethyl succinate, 1,4-butanediol and α,ω-hydroxyl terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, = 1000 g/mol) in bulk. The content of soft PEO segments in the polymer chains was varied from about 10 to 50 mass%. The effect of the introduction of the soft PEO segments on the structure, thermal and physical properties, as well as on the biodegradation properties was investigated. The composition and structure of these aliphatic segmented copolyesters were determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of the polyesters were verified by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), as well as by viscometry of dilute solutions and polymer melts. The thermal properties were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The degree of crystallinity was determined by means of DSC and wide-angle X-ray scattering. A depression of melting temperature and a reduction of crystallinity of the hard segments with increasing content of PEO segments were observed. Biodegradation of the synthesized copolyesters, estimated in enzymatic degradation tests in phosphate buffer solution with Candida rugosa lipase at 37 °C was compared with hydrolytic degradation in the buffer solution. The weight losses of the samples were in the range from 2 to 10 mass%. GPC analysis confirmed that there were significant changes in molecular weight of copolyesters with higher content of PEO segments, up to 40% of initial values. This leads to conclusion that degradation mechanism of the poly(ether-ester)s based on PEO segments occurs through bulk degradation in addition to surface erosion.     

Thermal ageing of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) semi-IPNs

The thermal stability study of a conducting semi-IPN has been reported. The thermo-oxidation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Network (semi-IPN) was studied at 80 °C in open air. The degradation was followed by spectrophotometry in the visible and near infrared range, cyclic voltamperometry and thermogravimetric analysis. Fluorescence spectrophotometry allowed for the identification of OH by-product originated in the PEO network degradation by the use of a chemiluminescent probe, typically terephthalic acid. The formation of hydroxyl radicals damaged the PEDOT chains as checked by infrared spectroscopy. The mechanism of degradation is further confirmed (i) by introducing a radical scavenger or (ii) by performing a thermal ageing under inert atmosphere; in both cases the semi-IPN life-time is tremendously increased.     

Non-isothermal depolymerisation kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide)

The depolymerisation of low molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) under mild conditions was studied using a linear temperature ramped non-isothermal technique and the results compared with those obtained from a conventional isothermal technique. The analysis of the non-isothermal kinetic (NIK) data was performed using an original computer program incorporating an algorithm that systematically minimizes the sum of the squares of the residuals between the experimental data and the calculated theoretical kinetic profile in order to extract the kinetic parameters. The results revealed that the depolymerisation of PEO proceeds in accordance with the Ekenstam model and follows the Arrhenius equation over the temperature range of ca. 40-130 °C. The NIK analysis resulted in a two-dimensional convergence to produce a unique solution set for the kinetic parameters of E_a = 89.4 kJ mol⁻¹ and A = 9.6 × 10⁶ h⁻¹. These data are consistent with the results obtained from the isothermal experiments. It is proposed that NIK analysis is a quick and reliable means of obtaining kinetic parameters relevant to lifetime predictions in polymers whose degradation behaviour can be considered to be close to ideal.     

Bioelectrochemical dehalogenations via direct electrochemistry of poly(ethylene oxide)-modified myoglobin

Catalytic reductive dehalogenation of hexachloroethane (HCE) was shown to be possible using a graphite electrode coated with a film of the poly(ester sulfonic acid) containing myoglobin (Mb). The effectiveness of the dehalogenation was limited by the solubility of HCE in aqueous solutions. In order to produce an electrode that could dehalogenate HCE in non-aqueous solutions, Mb was chemically modified by addition of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The PEO–Mb–AQ29D modified electrode was found to be suitable for the reductive dehalogenation of HCE in ethanolic solutions. The catalytic response was shown to be linearly dependent on the bulk concentration of HCE.     

Shear and extensional rheology of solutions of mixtures of poly(ethylene oxide) and anionic surfactants in ionic environments

Interactions between a high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) in aqueous solutions were investigated by shear and extensional rheometry. Results for mixtures between PEO and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) are also presented for comparison purposes. Addition of anionic surfactants to PEO solutions above the critical aggregation concentration (CAC), at which micellar aggregates attach to the polymer chain, results in an increase in shear viscosity due to PEO coil expansion, and a strengthening of interchain interactions. In extensional flows, these interactions result in a decrease of the critical shear rate for the onset of the characteristic extension thickening of the PEO solutions that is due to transient entanglements of polymer molecules. The relaxation times associated with these transient entanglements are not directly proportional to the shear viscosity of the solutions, but rather vary more rapidly with surfactant concentration. In the presence of an electrolyte, coil contraction results in lower shear viscosities and a decrease in the extension thickening effects at surfactant concentrations just beyond the CAC. The relaxation times associated with transient entanglement reach a minimum at the same surfactant concentration as the shear viscosity, which indicates that coil contraction is responsible for the observed effects in both types of flow. However, the increase in extensional-flow entanglement relaxation times is much more abrupt than the decrease in shear viscosity. All these results point to a greater sensitivity of extensional flows on the molecular conformation of PEO/surfactant complexes.     

Thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethylene oxide) blends: Thermogravimetric analysis

Thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PVC/PEO) blends has been investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in dynamic and isothermal heating regime. PVC/PEO blends were prepared by hot-melt extrusion (HME). According to TG analysis, PEO decomposes in one stage, while PVC and PVC/PEO blends in two degradation stages. In order to evaluate the effect of PEO content on the thermal stability of PVC/PEO blends, different criteria were used. It was found that thermal stability of PVC/PEO blends depends on the blend composition. The interactions of blends components with their degradation products were confirmed. By using multiple heating rate kinetics the activation energies of the PVC/PEO blends thermal degradation were calculated by isoconversional integral Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and differential Friedman method. According to dependence of activation energy on degree of conversion the complexity of degradation processes was determined.     

Self-diffusion study of poly (ethylene oxide)-poly (propylene oxide)-poly (ethylene oxide) block copolymers in aqueous solution

The self-diffusion of poly (ethylene oxide)-poly (propylene oxide)-poly (ethylene oxide) block copolymers dissolved in deuterated water was investigated by means of pulsed field gradient NMR (PFG-NMR). The polymer forms micelles in the solution and, with increasing temperature, clouding and phase demixing occurs. The self-diffusion coefficient indicates the association of the polymer molecules in the vicinity of the cloud point because of its maximum with increasing temperature. Above the cloud point, two kinds of diffusing species are observed due to phase separation. The faster diffusing species is attributed to the polymer-poor phase. The self-diffusion coefficient of the polymer-rich phase species decreases with increasing temperature above the cloud point due to further association and dehydration. The correlation length of the diffusing associates, calculated from the self-diffusion coefficient and the viscosity by means of the Stokes-Einstein equation is nearly independent of temperature and concentration up to 30 wt-% polymer concentration. The correlation length is about 1.4 nm. It shows a slight maximum at the cloud point.     

Bonding mechanisms and conformation of poly(ethylene oxide)-based surfactants in interlayer of smectite

A better understanding of the interactions between poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based nonionic surfactants and smectite is important to fully comprehend the transport and the fate of nonionic surfactants in the environment and to design novel organo-clay composites. We studied the bonding between the surfactants and smectite and the molecular conformations of the surfactants in the interlayer of smectite. A reference polymer PEG and three nonionic surfactants—Brij 56, Brij 700, and PE-PEG—were intercalated into a smectite. The polymers and the composites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The XRD and FT-IR results indicate that the bulk surfactants existed as crystalline materials at room temperature, and surfactant molecules had both helical/extended diblock and planar zigzag conformations. The surfactants intercalated smectite and expanded the d(001) spacing of smectite to nearly 1.8 nm. The shapes and positions of the IR bands of interlayer surfactants were similar to those of the melted (amorphous) bulk polymers: the wagging vibrations of the CH₂ merged to a single band at 1,350 cm⁻¹, the twisting bands of CH₂ had 9 cm⁻¹ or more blue shifts. These changes imply that the PEO segments of the surfactants existed with a distorted and extended conformation in the interlayer of smectite, and this extended conformation was an intermediate form of the helical and planar zigzag conformations. The molecular conformation of the interlayer surfactant was not affected by the seven types of exchangeable cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and H⁺) tested. There were 20 cm⁻¹ or more red shifts from the C–O–C stretching bands when the surfactants were adsorbed. The red shifts suggest that surfactants were bonded to smectite mainly through (1) H-bonding between oxygen atoms of the PEO segments and water molecules in hydration shells of the exchangeable cations, and (2) direct coordination or ion–dipole interaction between the oxygen atoms of the PEO segments and the exchangeable cations. With the extended conformation, the oxygen atoms of the PEO segments have maximum exposure to the bonding water molecules and exchangeable cations.     

Thermodynamic properties of surfactant sodium n-heptyl sulfonate in water and in aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) at different temperatures

The volumetric, compressibility and electrical conductivity properties of sodium n-heptyl sulfonate (C₇SO₃Na) in pure water and in aqueous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solutions were determined at different temperatures below and above the micellar composition range. At each temperature, the infinite dilution apparent molar volumes of the monomer and micellar state of C₇SO₃Na in aqueous PEG solutions respectively are smaller and larger than those in pure water. However, the values of the infinite dilution apparent molar isentropic compressibility of both monomer and micellar states of C₇SO₃Na in aqueous PEG solutions are larger than those in pure water. Thermodynamic parameters of micellization of investigated surfactant in water and in aqueous solutions of PEG at different temperatures were estimated and it was found that the micelle formation process is endothermic and therefore, this process must be driven by entropy increase. The calculated Gibbs free energies of micellization for aqueous PEG solutions are more negative than those for pure water and become more negative by increasing temperature. The variation of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of C₇SO₃Na in water and in aqueous PEG solutions with temperature was obtained and a comparison between the CMC of C₇SO₃Na obtained from different thermodynamic properties was also made.     

Preparation and ionic conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers having thiolate groups on the chain ends

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) oligomers having alkali metal thiolate groups on the chain ends (PEO _m -S⁻M⁺) were prepared as an ion conductive matrix. The molecular weight of the PEO part (m) and the content of the thiolate groups in the molecule were changed to analyze the effect of carrier ion concentration in the bulk. In a series of potassium salt derivatives, PEO₃₅₀-SK showed the highest ionic conductivity of 6.42 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm at 50 °C. In spite of a poor degree of dissociation which was derived from the acidity of the thiolate groups, PEO _m -SM showed quite high ionic conductivity among other PEO/salt hybrids. PEO _m -SM had glass transition temperatures (T _g) 20 °C lower than other PEO/salt hybrids. Lowering the T _g was concluded to be effective in providing higher ionic conductivity for PEO-based polymer electrolytes. Received: 30 April 1999 / Accepted: 20 June 1999