Flocculation studies of non-aqueous poly(methyl methacrylate) dispersions stabilized by AB block copolymers of polystyrene and poly(dimethyl siloxane)

Summary Well defined non-aqueous dispersions of poly(methyl methacrylate) stabilized by AB block copolymers of polystyrene and poly(dimethyl siloxane) were prepared with a dispersion medium consisting of a binary mixture of n-heptane and ethanol. Flocculation was induced by cooling, and the lower critical flocculation temperature was studied as a function of the molecular weight and composition of the stabilizing copolymer, the particle size of the dispersion, and the surface coverage of the particles. The theta temperature for poly(dimethyl siloxane) homopolymer in the same binary liquid mixture was determined by two procedures. The lower critical flocculation temperature was found to be close to the theta temperature and was independent of the length of the stabilizing poly(dimethyl siloxane) chains for the molecular weight range 3200-48000.

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Zusammenfassung Gut definierte, durch AB-Block-Copolymere von Polystyrol und Polydimethylsiloxan stabilisierte nichtwässerige Dispersionen von Polymethylmethacrylat wurden mit binären Mischungen von Heptan und Äthylalkohol als Dispersionsmittel hergestellt. Die Flockung wurde durch Abkühlung herbeigeführt und die untere kritische Flockungstemperatur wurde als Funktion des Molekulargewichts und der Zusammensetzung des stabilisierenden Copolymeren, der Größe der dispergierten Teilchen und dem Bedeckungsgrad der Teilchenoberfläche studiert. Die Theta-Temperatur des Polydimethylsiloxan-Homopolymers in derselben binären flüssigen Mischung wurde durch zwei Verfahren bestimmt. Es wurde gefunden, daß die untere kritische Flockungstemperatur nahe an der ThetaTemperatur liegt und im Molekulargewichtsbereich 3200–48000 von der Länge der stabilisierenden Polydimethylsiloxan-Ketten unabhängig ist.

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With 2 figures and 2 tables     

Reversible Thermal Flocculation of Aqueous α-Fe2O3Dispersions Stabilized with Novel Poly(Vinyl Ether) Block Copolymers

The colloidal stability with respect to temperature of aqueous α-Fe₂O₃dispersions stabilized with novel poly(vinylmethylether)-block-poly(vinyloxy-4-butyric acid) diblock copolymers was studied by rheological and turbidimetric measurements. Adsorption of the block copolymers provides the particles with a steric barrier due to the nonadsorbing poly(vinylmethylether) (PVME) blocks. Rheological measurements on concentrated (15 vol %) dispersions showed that flocculation occurred near the θ temperature of PVME in water. For the turbidimetric analysis, the fraction of small particles was used at a very low concentration. With these dispersions, flocculation was found at higher temperatures, corresponding to the lower critical solution temperature of the block copolymer used. The particles spontaneously redispersed when a heated and flocculated dispersion was cooled to below the flocculation temperature.     

The preparation of monodisperse polyacrylonitrile particles in the presence of AB block co-polymers of poly-2-vinylpyridine/poly tertbutylstyrene

Radical dispersion polymerisation of acrylonitrile in cyclohexane was performed in the presence of the diblock copolymer poly-2-vinylpyridine/poly tertbutylstyrene, giving polymer latex particles stabilised by surface layers of chains of poly tertbutylstyrene. A seeded polymerisation route was employed and the addition of up to a further seven feeds of reactants resulted in the particle growth and the total volume fraction of particles increased to 0.2. The effect of varying the molecular weight of the stabiliser and stabiliser concentration was also investigated. Particle diameter in the range 40–150 nm were obtained depending on the condition of the polymerisation.     

The influence of surfactants on latex flocculation with poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride)

Aqueous latex was flocculated by mixtures of poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride), PDADMAC, and anionic surfactants. Sodium dodecyl sulfate, (SDS), and Aerosol OT influenced flocculation whereas nonionic Tergitol NP-10 did not. The flocculation domains were correlated with properties of the polymer-surfactant complexFlocculation was never observed above the CMC of the corresponding surfactant solution without polymer or latex. At SDS concentrations greater than 10^–3.6 M the flocculation boundary corresponded to the first appearance of insoluble polymer-surfactant complex which was characterized by dynamic light scattering and microelectrophoresis. Under these conditions latex (diameter 570 nm) and dispersed polymer-surfactant complex particles (diameters between 30 and 2 000 nm) displayed simultaneous homo and heteroflocculation. The boundaries of the flocculation domains at low surfactant concentration were determined by the ratio of polymer to latex and by the net electrostatic charge of the soluble polymer-surfactant complex. On the other hand, the mechanisms controlling flocculation boundaries in the dispersed polymer-surfactant domain require further clarification.     

In situ SAXS investigations of isothermal crystallization in poly(TMPS) fractions

The isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(TMPS) has been measured by ISSAXS and results obtained for a molecular weight fraction (21,000) below the critical entanglement molecular weight (25,000) and another one above it (371,000). The SAXS intensity vs. time curves suggest that a single transformation mechanism exists. The SAXS long period is independent of crystallization time for both poly(TMPS) fractions. However the interlamellar thickness contribution to the long period is dependent upon molecular weight and crystallization temperature, increasing with temperature and molecular weight. The crystallite contribution also increases over the range studied. Both fractions exhibit a significant, but reversible decrease in thickness on cooling the sample from the crystallization temperature to room temperature and recyling again. The change is more pronounced for 371,000 specimen in keeping with its lower crystallinity. The path dependence of lamellar dimensions has significant implications in the morphological characterization of polymers annealed or crystallized at one temperature and then measured at another one.Paper presented at the American Physical Society March 25–29, Baltimore, MD (1985).     

Aqueous dispersion of polyurethane ionomers from hexamethylene diisocyanate and trimellitic anhydride

Polyurethane (PU) ionomers were prepared from trimellitic anhydride (TMA), poly(tetramethylene adipate) glycol (PTAd), and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) in acetone. Upon neutralizing the carboxylic groups with a tertiary amine (TEA), and adding water to PU ionomer solution, followed by removing the acetone, stable aqueous PU dispersions were obtained.Effects of interionic molecular weight and nonionic hydrophilic segment, viz. monofunctional ethylene-propylene oxide ether on particle, size, emulsion viscosity, mechanical, and viscoelastic properties of the emulsion cast films were examined.     

Analysis of dielectric observations of KCl-charged poly(methyl methacrylate) microcapsules using a two-component model consisting of KCl-permeable and KCl-impermeable capsules

Dielectric measurements were carried out on aqueous suspensions of poly(methyl methacrylate) microcapsules charged with KCl solutions to examine the KCl permeability of the microcapsules. The specimens exhibited three kinds of dielectric relaxation. Two kinds of dielectric relaxation were observed immediately after washing the specimens with distilled water. These overlapped each other when the specimen was left standing in the measuring cell for a long time. Their relaxation frequencies were affected by the KCl concentration of the suspending medium in which the specimen was kept before washing. Another relaxation was observed distinctly when the spepcimens were washed thoroughly with distilled water. Its relaxation frequency was affected by the KCl concentration of the charged solution. These results were explained by assuming that the specimens were mixtures of KCl-permeable and KCl-impermeable capsules. The theoretical analysis procedure was devised in the light of dielectric theory of interfacial polarization to estimate the parameters which characterize the structure of the specimens.     

Swelling of poly(methacrylic acid) gels and adsorption of L-lysine and its polymer on the gels

Poly (methacrylic acid) gels (PMAA gels) of various degrees of crosslinking were prepared and the dissociation behavior of these gels was examined; the swelling behavior was investigated as a function of the solution pH values. A reentrant phenomenon of swelling was observed and interpreted based on the Flory-Huggins equation and the Donnan equilibrium formula. Moreover, adsorption of L-lysine, oligo(L-lysine)s (Lys-n,n=3, 9, and 19) and poly(L-lysine) onto PMAA gels from aqueous solutions was investigated under different conditions of pH and concentration of adsorbate. The adsorption ratio of L-lysine onto PMAA gel is dependent on both the pH of solution and the degree of crosslinking. In a pH range between 8 and 9, the protonated form of L-lysine is strongly adsorbed on the PMAA gel by electrostatic interactions. Oligomers and polymer of L-lysine are adsorbed in a somewhat different way from the monomeric L-lysine. In addition, the desorption behavior of L-lysine from PMAA gels by a change in pH was also investigated.     

Molecular mechanism for elongation: poly(vinylidene fluoride) form II

Elongation of an unoriented sample of poly(vinylidene fluoride) form II at high temperature (above 140 °C) results in a uniaxially oriented sample of form II during so-called necking. The short-range and long-range order parameters of poly(vinylidene fluoride) form II and measures of the structural order on thec-projection are characterized by the intensity and half-width of the 120 reflection. The elongation under the same condition gives almost the same order parameters, independent of the order parameters before the elongation. Furthermore, the dependence of the order parameters on the elongation temperature behaves in the same way as the dependence of the quenched unoriented sample on the annealing temperature. This suggests that the elongation of the sample during necking corresponds to the crystallization or recrystallization after a much disordered state, approximately molten state; this supports the mechanism proposed by Yoon and Flory.     

Poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine-1-oxide) and poly(dimethylsiloxane-b-2 vinylpyridine-1-oxide) diblock copolymers. 1. Preparation and characterisation

Sequential anionic polymerisation routes have been used to prepare AB diblock copolymers, where A is either polystyrene or polydimethylsiloxane, and B is poly(2-vinylpyridine-1-oxide). The latter block, which is water-soluble, was obtained from the oxidation of poly(2-vinylpyridine) using peroxyacetic acid (giving 100% yield).The resultant diblock copolymers were characterised by gel-permeation chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance and gravimetric microanalysis to give relative block lengths and polydispersity indices. For both types of block copolymersM _w /M _n values <1.25 could be readily obtained under carefully controlled conditions.     

Conformational change of poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-ornithine) and cooperative binding of sodium alkanesulfonate surfactants with different chain length

Conformations of poly(L-lysine) (PLL) and poly(L-ornithine) (PLO) were examined in aqueous solutions of sodium alkanesulfontates (C_nSO₃Na, n=9, 10, 11, 12) in the presence of 0.02 M NaCl by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. These surfactants induce the-structure for PLL and the-helix for PLO. The binding of surfactants on the polypeptides was measured potentiometrically with a surfactant ion electrode and was found to be highly cooperative. The cooperativity increases with increasing chain length of surfactant. The behavior accompanying the surfactant binding and the conformational change indicated that the conformational change requires a certain amount of bound surfactants in the case of C₉SO₃Na and starts immediately on binding of surfactant in the case of C_{1 2}SO₃Na. The clustering of bound surfactants due to the cooperative binding as well as neutralization of polypeptides contributes to their conformational change. A slow conformational change of PLO was found in the time scale of hours, sometimes days, for C₉- and C₁₀SO₃Na at low concentrations, but the binding process reached the equilibrium quickly. This slow mode might occur due to the slow interaction between surfactant/polypeptide complexes.     

Molecular orientation in hot-drawn poly(ethylene terephthalate) films as determined from the intrinsic polarized fluorescence

The groundstate-stable dimers in the non-crystalline regions of uniaxially drawn poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films were used as chain-intrinsic fluorescent labels for studying the orientation distribution in the non-crystalline regions. As far as indicated by the spectra and the fluorescence decay law, the fluorescent group remains unchanged when the sample is uniaxially oriented by drawing above the glass transition temperature. In contrary to the behaviour of physically incorporated probe molecules, the orientation coefficient f ₂ ^F of the dimers is proportional to the amorphous orientation coefficientf ₂ ^A ; concerning the fluorescence signal, amorphous includes all the material outside the perfect crystal.During deformation, the orientation coefficientf ₂ ^F follows approximately a superposition curve of crystallite-like orientation, separable in the initial range of stretching ratio <2.5, and of true-amorphous orientation of the affine network type that becomes noticably at >3.At temperatures closely aboveT _g, and within the selected range of stretching parameters, the fluorescence intensity of PET remains nearly constant with increasing stretching ratio; at >2.5, where the maximum crystallite orientation is achieved and the increase of amorphous orientation becomes noticably, a slight augmentation of the dimer concentration is observed.     

Polystyrene(1)/poly(butyl acrylate-methacrylic acid)(2) core-shell emulsion polymers. Part I. Synthesis and colloidal characterization

Polystyrene (PS) (1)/Poly(n-butyl acrylate (BA)-methacrylic acid (MAA)) (2) structured particle latexes were prepared by emulsion polymerization using monodisperse polystyrene latex seed (118 nm) and different BA/MAA ratios. Three main aspects have been investigated: i) the polymerization kinetics; ii) the particle morphology as a function of reaction time; iii) the distribution of MAA units between the water phase and the polymer particles.The amount of MAA in the shell copolymer was found to be the main factor controlling the particle shape and morphology. The shape of the structured particles was, generally, non-spherical, and the shape irregularities increased as a particles was, generally, non-spherical, and the shape irregularities increased as a function of reaction time. At the beginning of the second stage reaction, new small particles were observed, which coalesced onto the PS seed as the polymerization proceeded. The distribution of the MAA groups in the latex particles and the serum was analyzed by alkali/back-acid titration, using ionic exchanged latexes. No MAA groups were detected in the latex serum. Due to the lowTg of the BA-MAA copolymers, alkali conductimetric titrations accounted for all the MAA groups on and within the polymer particles. Therefore, for these systems, this method is not only limited to a thin surface layer, as it is often assumed.     

Steric Stabilization of Colloids by Poly(dimethylsiloxane) in Carbon Dioxide: Effect of Cosolvents

Steric stabilization and flocculation of colloids with surface-grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) chains are examined in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide with and without hexane as a cosolvent. Neither poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nor silica particles with grafted 10,000 g/mol PDMS could be stabilized in pure CO(2) at pressures up to 345 bar at 25 degrees C and 517 bar at 65 degrees C without stirring. The addition of 15 wt% hexane to CO(2) led to stable dispersions with sedimentation velocities of 0.2 mm/min for 1-2 μm PMMA particles. The critical flocculation pressure of the colloids in the hexane/CO(2) mixture, determined from turbidity versus time measurements, was found to be the same for silica and PMMA particles and was well above the upper critical solution pressure for the PDMS-CO(2) system. The addition of a nonreactive cosolvent, hexane, eliminates flocculation of PMMA particles synthesized through dispersion polymerization in CO(2) with PDMS-based surfactants. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

CPS K 221 Model of proton longitudinal magnetic relaxation in hydrated crosslinked poly(methacrylic acid)

Proton longitudinal magnetic relaxation time (T₁) measurements have been made at 30 MHz over a wide range of temperature for crosslinked poly(methacrylic acid), PMA, hydrated with H₂O as well as with D₂O. From the point of view of nuclear magnetic relaxation, PMA hydrogel is a multiregion system in which three proton regions (a, b, c) can be distinguished. Region a is regarded as to be formed by the nonexchangeable polymer protons, region b by the protons of -COOH · H₂O combinations, and region c by the protons of remaining water molecules. Cross relaxation between polymer and water protons and a log normal distribution of correlation times have been assumed to take place. Temperature dependences of the T₁ time for the particular regions have been determined, from which the distribution width parameter, the second moment and the intramolecular proton-proton distance for sorbed water have been calculated.     

Preparation and properties of uniform colloidal metal phosphates IV. Cadmium-, nickel-, and manganese(II)-phosphates

Colloidal dispersions of uniform spherical particles of cadmium phosphate, nickel basic phosphate, and manganese (II) phosphate were prepared by aging at elevated temperatures metal salt solutions and phosphoric acid or sodium dihydrogen phosphate in the presence of urea and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Uniform spheres were obtained only if urea and the surfactant were added within a given range of concentrations.The spherical particles were amorphous as prepared. Cadmium phosphate and nickel basic phosphate particles crystallized when calcined at appropriate temperatures. Manganese (II) phosphate particles underwent a phase transformation to crystalline plate-like solids when aged in doubly distilled water at room temperature.Supported by NFS grant CHE-8619509.Part of M. S. Thesis by L.L.S.     

Poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine-1-oxide) and poly(dimethyl-siloxane-b-2-vinylpyridine-1-oxide) diblock copolymers 2. Micellar solutions in water/propan-2-ol mixtures

Dynamic light scattering and viscometry measurements have been carried out on three AB diblock copolymers in water/propan-2-ol mixtures. The A moieties in each case were poly(2-vinylpyridine-1-oxide) for which both water and propan-2-ol are good solvents. The B Moieties were either polystyrene or polydimethylsiloxane, for which both water and propan-2-ol are poor solvents, but water is the worse solvent. In all cases, the hydrodynamic size of the micelles (assumed spherical) was found to increase with increasing water content in the solvent mixture; the aggregation number was also found to increase. The former finding is in agreement with the theoretical predictions of Munch and Gast, but not the latter.     

Binding of benzopurpurin 4B to poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone): A spectral study on the mechanism of dye binding

The binding mechanism of benzopurpurin 4B to poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) was studied by a spectrophotometric absorbance change method at pH 7.1 in 0.05 mol dm^–3 phosphate buffer. The results were analyzed by Scatchard, Hill, and Schwarz methods. The different shapes of the Scatchard plots indicated the varying degrees of cooperativity which depended on the percent saturation of binding sites. The Hill method elucidated the pairwise binding of the dye to polymer at the intermediate saturation and multimolecular binding both at the low and high saturations. The Schwarz method confirmed the interaction between bound dye molecules which led to cooperativity. The difference spectra of the polymer-dye complex evidenced the elucidated binding mechanism.     

Non-aqueous polymer dispersions: radical dispersion polymerization in the presence of the diblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-[ethylene-co-propylene])

Radical dispersion polymerizations of monomers, for example methyl methacrylate and vinyl acetate, in n-alkanes were performed in the presence of the diblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-[ethylene-co-propylene]), giving polymer particles stabilized by surface layers of chains of ethylene-propylene copolymer. The incorporation of a seed stage into the dispersion polymerization produced particles having a narrow size distribution. The mean particle diameter in the range 0.1 – 0.3 m is dependent on the concentration of diblock copolymer in the dispersion polymerization.     

Viscoelastic properties of polyacrylonitrile particles stabilised by a poly-2-vinylpyridine/polytert butylstyrene block copolymer

The viscoelastic properties of a dispersion of polyacrylonitrile particles stabilised by a block copolymer poly-2-vinylpyridine/polytert butylstyrene dispersed in solvesso have been measured as a function of particle concentration and frequency at ambient temperatures. At low volume fraction of particles it was found that the loss modulus of the dispersions was larger than the storage modulus, whilst at volume fractions > 0.40 the storage modulus dominates the rheology. This is attributable to there being a steric repulsion between the particles as a result of an increasing concentration of particles and the resultant reduction in interparticle separation in the dispersion. In addition the observed exponential increase of the storage modulus with increasing particle volume fraction mirrors the exponential increase in force with decreasing surface separation of the same type of polymers adsorbed to mica.