Thermodynamic properties of some concentrated polymer solutions

Solubilities of several solvents were measured in four molten polymers by using an isobaric vapor-pressure apparatus. Solvent concentration ranged from 0.5 to 15 wt-%. The systems polyisoprene–benzene and polyisobutylene–benzene were studied at 80.0°C; polyisobutylene–cyclohexane was studied at 100.0°C; ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)–cyclohexane, EVA–isooctane, and poly(vinyl acetate)–isooctane were studied at 110.0°C. Of six polymer–solvent systems studied, all except poly(vinyl acetate)–isooctane appear to exhibit hysteresis in a single sorption–desorption cycle starting with dry polymer. The desorption curves of solvent activity plotted versus solvent weight fraction show an inflection point, suggesting localized adsorption of solvent molecules. Experimental data were analyzed with a theory which takes into account adsorption of solvent by polymer in addition to differences in free volumes and intermolecular forces. The theory gives a semiquantitative representation of the experimental data.     

Solution properties of poly(dimethyl siloxane)

The solution properties of poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) were studied with light scattering (LS), gel permeation chromatography/light scattering (GPC/LS), and viscometry methods. PDMS samples were fractionated, and the weight‐average molecular weights, second virial coefficient, and the z‐average radius of gyration of each fraction were found according to the Zimm method with the LS technique. In this work, the molecular weight range studied was 7.5 × 10⁴ to 8.0 × 10⁵. Molecular weights and molecular weight distributions were determined by GPC/LS. The intrinsic viscosities of these fractions were studied in toluene at 30 °C, in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) at 20 °C, and in bromocyclohexane (BCH) at 26 °C and 28 °C. The Mark–Houwink–Sakurada relationship showed that toluene was a good solvent, and MEK at 20 °C and BCH at 28 °C were θ solvents for PDMS. The unperturbed dimensions were calculated with LS and intrinsic viscosity data. The unperturbed dimensions, expressed in terms of the characteristic ratio, were found to be 6.66 with different extrapolation methods in toluene at 30 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2678–2686, 2000     

Generalized correlations for molecular weight and concentration dependence of zero-shear viscosity of high polymer solutions

Data are presented to show that two correlations of viscosity–concentration data are useful representations for data over wide ranges of molecular weight and up to at least moderately high concentrations for both good and fair solvents. Low molecular weight polymer solutions (below the critical entanglement molecular weight M_c) generally have higher viscosities than predicted by the correlations. One correlation is η_sp/c[η] versus k′[η], where η_sp is specific viscosity, c is polymer concentration, [η] is intrinsic viscosity, and k′ is the Huggins constant. A standard curve for good solvent systems has been defined up to k′[η]c ≈? 3. It can also be used for fair solvents up to k′[η]c ≈? 1.25· low estimates are obtained at higher values. A simpler and more useful correlation is η_R versus c[η], where η_R is relative viscosity. Fair solvent viscosities can be predicted from the good solvent curve up to c[η] ≈? 3, above which estimates are low. Poor solvent data can also be correlated as η_R versus c[η] for molecular weights below 1 to 2 × 10⁵.     

Conformation of poly(methacrylic acid) in alcohol–water mixtures. I. Effect of concentration,temperature, pH,and ionic strength

The reduced specific viscosity of poly(methacrylic acid) has been studied in ethanol–0.002N HCI solvent mixtures as a function of polymer concentration, alcohol concentration, and temperature. In addition, experiments were performed at different HCI concentrations and with KCI instead of HCI. Both intrinsic viscosity and Huggins coefficient were shown to undergo unusually strong variations. Two minima and two maxima could be demonstrated in intrinsic viscosity. The Huggins coefficient seems to show corresponding variations. The first minimum in intrinsic viscosity indicates that the coil volume has collapsed almost to an Einstein sphere. In this region the Huggins coefficient is extremely large (of order 10²) and is controlled by coil association. It was shown that several forms of intramolecular interaction must be assumed to be competing to account for this behavior. The presence of HCI, particularly in the preponderantly aqueous phase, is required to suppress the polyelectrolyte effect. It is found, however, that the behavior of the solutions at relatively high ethanol concentrations is more sensitive to HCI content than is that of highly aqueous solutions. KCI can be used to replace HCI over most of the range. Increase in temperature shifts the turning points of the curves to lower alcohol concentrations. Some evidence has been found that the association constant giving rise to dimers increase with rate of shear. The importance of poly(methacrylic acid) as a chemically simple model substance for various biopolymer effects is stressed.     

A conductometric study of complexation reaction between dibenzo-24-crown-8 with yttrium cation in some binary mixed non-aqueous solvents

The complexation reaction of macrocyclic ligand, dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) with Y⁺³ cation was studied in some binary mixtures of methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH), acetonitrile (AN) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) with dimethylformamide (DMF) at different temperatures using the conductometric method. The conductance data show that in all solvent systems, the stoichiometry of the complex formed between DB24C8 and Y⁺³ cation is 1:1 (ML). The stability order of (DB24C8.Y)⁺³ complex in pure non-aqueous solvents was found to be: AN > EtOH > MeOH > DMF. A non-linear behaviour was observed for changes of log K_f of (DB24C8.Y)⁺³ complex versus the composition of the binary mixed solvents, which was explained in terms of solvent–solvent interactions and also the heteroselective solvation of the species involved in the complexation reaction. The obtained results show that the stability of (DB24C8.Y)⁺³ complex is sensitive to the mixed solvents composition. The values of thermodynamic parameters (?H°_c and ?S°_c) for formation of (DB24C8.Y)⁺³ complex were obtained from temperature dependence of the stability constant using the van’t Hoff plots. The results show that in most cases, the (DB24C8.Y)⁺³ complex is enthalpy destabilized but entropy stabilized and the values and also the sign of thermodynamic parameters are influenced by the nature and composition of the mixed solvents.     

Huggins constant k′ for flexible chain polymers

The Huggins constant k′ in the expression for the viscosity of dilute nonelectrolytic polymer solutions, η = η(1 + [η] c + k′[η]²c² + …), is calculated. For polymers in the theta condition, k′ is estimated to be 0.5 < k_θ′ ≤ 0.7. For good solvent systems, the Peterson-Fixman theory of k′ has been modified; the equilibrium radial distribution function in the original theory is replaced with a parametric distribution for interpenetrating macromolecules in the shear force field. Comparison of the modified theory with experimental k′ for polystyrenes and poly(methyl methacrylates) of different molecular weights in various solvents shows good agreement. An empirical equation which correlates the Huggins constant k′ and the viscosity expansion factor α_η for polymers has been found to coincide well with the modified theory.     

Solution Models for Binary Components of Significantly Different Molecular Sizes

As a solution theory, Raoult’s law is commonly used to estimate the activities of solutes and solvents of comparable molecular sizes while the Flory–Huggins (F–H) model is used for the activities of small liquids in high polymers. For a great many systems where the solute and solvent differ only moderately in molecular size (e.g., by 4–10 times), there has been no confirmed choice of a preferred model; examples of such systems are those of ordinary organic compounds in liquid triolein (MW = 885.4 g·mol^?1) and poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) (MW = ~1,000 g·mol^?1). The observed nearly athermal solubilities of many nonpolar organic solids in these solvents provide unique experimental data to examine the merit of a solution model. As found, Raoult’s law underestimates widely, and the F–H model underestimates slightly, the solid solubilities in triolein and PPG because these models underestimate the solution entropy for these solute–solvent pairs. To rectify this problem, the molecular segments of a large sized liquid solvent (e.g., triolein) are assumed to act as independent mixing units to increase the solute–solvent mixing entropy. This adjustment leads to a modified F–H model in which the “ideal” or “athermal” solubility of a solid in volume fraction, at a particular temperature, is equal to the solid’s activity at that temperature. Results from other studies give further support for the modified F–H model to interpret the partition data of compounds with organic solvents.     

Temperature dependence of unperturbed dimensions for isotactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

The unperturbed dimensions of isotactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) were evaluated from intrinsic viscosity measurements in water, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol under θ conditions over the temperature range of 3.7–32.1°C. The smallest value of unperturbed dimensions (K_θ) and the largest negative temperature dependence of unperturbed dimensions and the polymer–solvent interaction parameter (B) were obtained in aqueous θ solvent relative to the corresponding organic θ solvents. These results were interpreted by the hydrophobic interaction between the hydrophobic groups of isotactic PHEMA and water solvent. The temperature coefficient of the unperturbed dimensions, d ln〈r〉/dT, obtained in this study has a negative value of ?1.44 × 10^?3 deg^?1 under chemically similar θ solvents such as ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol where specific solvent effects are eliminated or minimized. In order to obtain the thermodynamic parameters for mixing between isotactic PHEMA and solvents, the plots of the polymer–solvent interaction parameter versus reciprocal absolute temperature (1/T) were carried out. Both the entropy of dilution and enthalpy of dilution show the negative values for water, methanol, and t-butanol, whereas the positive ones for ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol. This result indicates that the solution of isotactic PHEMA behave as exothermal systems in the former class of solvents and endothermal ones in the latter class of solvents.     

The sedimentation behaviour of semi-dilute solutions of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Sedimentation coefficients S of poly(methyl methacrylate) for a broad range of molecular weights M and concentrations 1 · 10⁻⁴ >; c >; 2 · 10⁻¹ (c in g ml⁻¹) in the good solvent acetone at 20°C and the theta solvent acetonitrile at 35°C are reported. The results in the dilute regime are discussed in connection with those reported on poly(methyl methacrylate) and the many data available for polystyrene. Both sets of experimental results are compared with the scaling theory. The predictions of the theory are mostly fulfilled as limiting slopes for lower concentrations and high molecular weights and require in good solvents experiments with very high M >; 3 · 10⁷.     

Complexation ability of kryptofix 22DD with lanthanum (III) cation in some binary mixed non-aqueous solvents

The complex formation between lanthanum (III) cation with kryptofix 22DD was studied in acetonitrile–dimethylformamide (AN–DMF), acetonitrile–methanol (AN–MeOH), acetonitrile–ethylacetate (AN–EtOAc) and acetonitrile–ethanol (AN–EtOH) binary solvent solutions at different temperatures by using conductometric method. The conductance data show that in all cases, the stoichiometry of the complex formed between the macrocyclic ligand and the metal cation is 1:1 [ML]. The stability order of (kryptofix 22DD.La)³⁺ complex in the studied binary solvent solutions at 25 °C was found to be: AN–EtOAc>AN–EtOH>AN–MeOH>AN–DMF and in the case of pure non-aqueous solvents at 25 °C was: EtOAc>EtOH>MeOH>AN>DMF. A non-linear behavior was observed for changes of logK_f of (kryptofix 22DD.La)³⁺ complex versus the composition of the binary mixed solvents, which was explained in terms of solvent–solvent interactions and also the preferential solvation of the species involved in the complexation reaction. The values of standard thermodynamic parameters (?H _c°, ?S _c°) for formation of (kryptofix 22DD.La)³⁺ complex were obtained from temperature dependence of the stability constant using the van’t Hoff plots.The results show that in most cases, the (kryptofix 22DD.La)³⁺ complex is enthalpy destabilized, but entropy stabilized and the values of these thermodynamic quantities for formation of the complex are quite sensitive to the nature and composition of the mixed solvents solution.     

Effect of viscosity of a liquid membrane containing oleyl alcohol on the pertraction of butyric acid

Solvent formulation is important in the optimization of the mass-transfer through supported liquid membranes (SLM) in pertraction and membrane extraction. Oleyl alcohol (OA) is frequently used as the solvent or diluent in the extraction of carboxylic acids. A disadvantage of OA is its relatively high viscosity of 28.32 mPa s at 25°C. This can be decreased by the application of a less viscous OA diluent, e.g. dodecane. The relationship between the ratio of the distribution coefficient of butyric acid (BA), D _F, and the viscosity of OA-dodecane solvents, µ, as extraction and transport characteristics, and the overall mass-transfer coefficient, K _p, through SLMs was analyzed. Dependence of the D _F/µ ratio on the OA concentration showed a maximum at the OA concentration of 15 mass % to 30 mass %. The OA concentration dependence of K _p for SLMs exhibited also a maximum at about 30 mass % and 20 mass % of OA at the BA concentration driving force of 0.12 kmol m^?3 and 0.3 kmol m^?3, respectively. Shifting of the maximum in K _p dependences towards lower OA concentrations by increasing the BA concentration driving force is in agreement with the D _F/µ ratio dependence. Using pure OA as the solvent or diluent is not preferable and a mixture of a low viscosity diluent with the OA concentration below 40 mass % should be used. The presented results show the potential of the D _F/µ ratio in the screening and formulation of solvents in extraction and SLM optimization.     

Solution properties of poly(methyl acrylate) and (1:1) poly(styrene-co-methyl acrylate)

Poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) and 1:1 poly(styrene-co-methyl acrylate) (PSMA) were prepared by solution and bulk polymerization, respectively. The copolymer was analyzed with NMR to ascertain its composition and microstructure. The solution properties of unfractionated PMA and fractionated PSMA in ethyl acetate were investigated by light-scattering and viscosity techniques at 35°C. Narrow composition heterogeneity as revealed from the light-scattering measurements in different solvents justified the use of a single solvent for the copolymer characterization. The equations relating the limiting viscosity number to molecular weight, the molecular dimension to molecular weight, etc., were found for homopolymer and copolymers in ethyl acetate at 35°C. In the evaluation of the Flory constant K for the unperturbed state by methods based on Flory-Fox-Schaefgen, Kurata-Stockmayer, and Stockmayer-Fixman expressions, only the first method gave a value for PMA in ethyl acetate, consistent with that obtained in other solvents, whereas similar values of K were obtained by the three methods for PSMA in ethyl acetate. The studies indicate reduced thermodynamic interaction for PSMA–ethyl acetate compared to PMA–ethyl acetate, but increased steric effect in the copolymer compared with the homopolymer.     

Polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride with 3,3′-diaminobenzidine in aprotic solvents II. Dilute solution studies

Solution properties were determined for the poly(amide acid amine) obtained from the room-temperature polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride with 3,3,-diaminobenzidine in aprotic solvents. Membrane osmometry data, viscosity studies, solution aging studies, and pH–viscosity relationships were given. Anomalous upswings in viscosity–concentration plots were attributed to absorption or capillary wall effects and not to polyelectrolyte effects, such as were induced by addition of strong bases. Similar absorption effects were found with polyamic acid solutions, in contrast to earlier reports that these polyimide precursors were polyelectrolytes. Unfavorable storage characteristics of the polymer solutions were explained by aging studies which showed that at 25°C dilute solutions exhibited a rapid drop in viscosity; in concentrated solution a slow increase to gelation was observed.     

Dilute solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) derived from vinyl trifluoroacetate

The dilute-solution behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA_VTFA), derived from vinyl trifluoroacetate, in water-dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) mixtures was investigated. With solvent mixtures ranging from 10 to 20 vol % DMSO, the relation between the reduced viscosity η_sp/C and the polymer concentration C was linear for polymer concentrations above 0.2 g/dL, whereas in solutions in mixed solvents of other compositions the dependence was linear for polymer concentrations above 0.1 g/dL. The relation between the intrinsic viscosity [η] obtained for aqueous solutions of PVA_VTFA and the molecular weight M estimated from viscosity measurements in solutions of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA_VTFA), obtained by acetylation of PVA_VTFA, was given by [η] = 7.34 × 10^?4 M^0.63. The value of [η] was greatest for the solvent mixture with 10 vol % DMSO and smallest for about 50 vol % DMSO, and Huggins constants k were smallest and greatest for these two cases, respectively. The turbidity of the solutions of low-molecular-weight PVA_VTFA, was higher than that of high-molecular-weight PVA_VTFA up to 30 vol % DMSO, and the reverse relation held for 40-70 vol % DMSO.     

Effects of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) on the solution properties of hydrophobically modified acrylamide copolymer

The hydrophobic interaction between hydrophobically modified acrylamide copolymer (HMPAM) and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in aqueous solutions was investigated. The results show that the solution properties of HMPAM are significantly influenced by the addition of PNIPAM. In dilute regime, the intrinsic viscosity of HMPAM in 0.025 wt % PNIPAM/0.1 M NaCl mixed solution is 17.52 dL g^?1, about 2 times 8.66 dL g^?1, that in 0.1 M NaCl solution, which is due to the attractive interaction between the hydrophobic parts of PNIPAM and HMPAM molecules. In semidilute regime, below the saturation concentration, the addition of PNIPAM can lead to both the apparent viscosity and the modulus of HMPAM solutions increasing, which is attributed to the number of aggregation junctions increasing, responsible for the increase of the contribution of the reversible network to the viscosity increase, the β value. In addition, a thermothickening behavior for the HMPAM/PNIPAM mixed solution is observed with increasing temperature over 15–30 °C, which is consistent with the large increase of the Huggins coefficient of HMPAM in the presence of PNIPAM from 1.95 to 7.59 as temperature increases from 25 to 30 °C. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 709–715, 2005     

Relaxation and Miscibility of the Blends of a Poly (Ether Imide) (Ultem™) and a Phenol-A-Based Copolyester (Ardel™) by Inverse Gas Chromatography

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to analyze the secondary transition temperatures and the miscibility of binary mixtures of poly (ether imide) (Ultem™) and a copolyester of bisphenol-A with terephthalic and isophthalic acids (50/50) (Ardel™) in three compositions (25/50, 50/50 and 75/25). Retention diagrams of the mixtures of Ultem™ and Ardel™ for n-nonane, n-decane, n-butyl acetate and isoamyl acetate were obtained at temperatures between 60 and 285 °C. Second-order transition temperatures of the mixtures were determined according to the slope change in retention diagrams of the solvents. The glass transition temperatures of the mixtures suggested the miscibility of the polymers. Polymer–polymer interaction parameters of binary mixtures of the polymers were determined at temperatures between 260 and 285 °C by Flory–Huggins theory. The polymer–polymer interaction parameters were dependent on the solvent used. The small values of polymer–polymer interaction parameters close to zero suggest some weak interactions between the polymers in the mixture. It was concluded that it was possible to obtain more meaningful information related to the interactions of polymers in a mixture from IGC measurements, if binary polymer–solvent interaction parameters of the used solvent probes were around 0.5.

     

Polyelectrolyte-like behavior of polyethylene oxide/LiClO4 mixture in chloroform or chloroform/dimethylformamide mixed solvent

Lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) was dissolved in dehydrated chloroform with polyethylene oxides (PEO) having different molecular weights. The mixing ratio of ether oxygen unit (? O? ) of PEO to cation (Li⁺) was set to 20:1. The solution viscosity of the PEO/LiClO₄ mixtures was measured using an Ubbelohde viscometer at 30.0°C. The concentration dependence of the reduced viscosity was analyzed by diluting the initial PEO/LiClO₄ mixed solution with pure chloroform to keep the ratio of ? O? to Li⁺ constant. The increase in the reduced viscosity for a dilute solution was found in every mixture system, but not in the PEO solution without salt. Similar experiments were also carried out in chloroform/dimethylformamide (DMF) mixed solvent (4:1 by volume). These results were analyzed using the Fuoss equation, which was applied for the analysis of a polyelectrolyte aqueous solution. Linear relations are depicted in the Fuoss plots, suggesting that the PEO/LiClO₄ mixture shows polyelectrolyte-like behavior in chloroform or in chloroform/DMF mixed solvent. This is attributed to the intramolecular electrostatic repulsion of lithium cations which are trapped by the PEO chains through ion–dipole interaction.     

Study of Kryptofix5 Complexation with La<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Cation in Several Individual and Binary Nonaqueous Solvents Using Conductometric Method

Complexatio of the La³⁺ cation with 1,13-bis(8-quinolyl)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxatridecane(Kryptofix5) was studied in pure solvents acetonitrile (AN), methanol (MeOH), nitrobenzene (NB), tetrahydrofuran (THF), methyl acetate (MeOAC) and in various binary solvent mixtures of AN–MeOH, AN–NB, AN–THF, and AN–MeOAC systems at different temperatures using the conductometric method. The stoichiometry of the complex was found to be 1 : 1 (ML). In all cases, the variation of the log kf with composition of the solvent was non-linear. This behavior is probably due to a change in the structure of these binary mixed solvents as the composition of the medium is varied. The stability order of the complex in pure nonaqueous solvents at 25°C increases in the order: AN > THF > MeOAC > MeOH > NB. The values of thermodynamic data (ΔH _c °,ΔS _c °) formation of (Kryptofix5.La)³⁺ complex are definitely solvent dependent.     

Determination of Chain Transfer Constant for Solvent When the Viscosity of the Polymerizing System Is Considered Important

Abstract

The chain transfer constant of the polymethyl methacrylate radical for N,N-dimethylaniline was determined in two solvents, benzene and dimethyl phthalate. Plots were made using1/P_n=k_t°R_p/k_p ²[M]²η + C_S1 [S₁]/[M] + C_S2 [S₂]/[M] +C_M where η=viscosity of monomer-solvents mixture, k_t°=rate coefficient of termination when η=1 cP, S₁=benzene or dimethyl phthalate, S₂=N,N-dimethylaniline, and other symbols have their usual meanings. The plots agreed well for the two solvents. If the plots were made without considering the viscosity term, two separate lines resulted for the two solvents. Thus it is essential to consider the viscosity of the polymerizing system in the analysis of chain transfer reactions when the termination reaction is diffusion-controlled and the viscosities of the monomer and solvent differ markedly.