Temperature effect on adsorption properties of silica-polyacrylic acid interface

The temperature influence (15–35 °C) on the adsorption mechanism and conformation of nonionic polymers (polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) on the zirconium dioxide surface was examined. The applied techniques (spectrophotometry, viscosimetry, potentiometric titration and microelectrophoresis) allowed characterization of the changes in structure and thickness of polymer adsorption layers with the increasing temperature. The rise of temperature favours more stretched conformation of polymer chains on the ZrO₂ surface, which results in higher adsorption and thicker adsorption layer. Moreover, these conformational changes of adsorbed macromolecules affect the electric (solid surface charge density) and electrokinetic (zeta potential) properties of the zirconia–polymer interface. The obtained data indicate that the polyvinyl alcohol adsorption has a greater influence on zirconia properties in comparison to that of PEG and PEO. It is due to the presence of acetate groups in the PVA macromolecules (degree of hydrolysis 97.5%), which undergo dissociation.     

Site blocking effect on the conformation of adsorbed cationic polyacrylamide on a solid surface

It has been known that pre-adsorbed polymers on a solid surface can block some adsorption sites for a post-added polymer on the same substrate. If the charge of pre-adsorbed polymer is the same as that of post-adsorbed polymer, the repulsion force between these two polymers will change not only the polymer adsorption amount but also the conformation and the properties of the polymer on the substrate. The site blocking effect is a possible mechanism in many commonly used flocculation programs. However, no research has been able to confirm the proposed theory of its effects on adsorbed polymer conformation. This work reports, for the first time, detailed information regarding the effects of site blocking on an adsorbed polymer's conformation using scanning probe microscopy. Using both polymers and nanoparticles as site blocking additives, experiments were performed on single cationic polyacrylamide polymers. This work illustrates that the increased thickness in adsorbed polymer layers, reported by previous researchers, is due to a dramatic increase in the tail portion of the adsorbed polymer. The previously postulated increase in adsorbed polymer loop lengths was not present in these experiments.     

Studies of temperature influence on adsorption behaviour of nonionic polymers at the zirconia–solution interface

The temperature influence (15–35 °C) on the adsorption mechanism and conformation of nonionic polymers (polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) on the zirconium dioxide surface was examined. The applied techniques (spectrophotometry, viscosimetry, potentiometric titration and microelectrophoresis) allowed characterization of the changes in structure and thickness of polymer adsorption layers with the increasing temperature. The rise of temperature favours more stretched conformation of polymer chains on the ZrO₂ surface, which results in higher adsorption and thicker adsorption layer. Moreover, these conformational changes of adsorbed macromolecules affect the electric (solid surface charge density) and electrokinetic (zeta potential) properties of the zirconia–polymer interface. The obtained data indicate that the polyvinyl alcohol adsorption has a greater influence on zirconia properties in comparison to that of PEG and PEO. It is due to the presence of acetate groups in the PVA macromolecules (degree of hydrolysis 97.5%), which undergo dissociation.     

高分子在固液界面吸附构象的研究方法及手段

高分子在固液界面的构象表征对其功能实现及实际应用具有重要意义,是高分子研究领域的热点之一.由于高分子吸附构象的复杂性及其影响因素的多样性,选择合适的方法及手段成为表征的关键.本文简单介绍了影响高分子构象的一些因素,并从仪器分析的角度出发,根据研究目的综述了高分子与固体表面的键合方式、在固液界面的吸附方式、吸附行为及吸附层微观结构的研究方法和手段.     

Adsorption of comb copolymers on weakly attractive solid surfaces

In this work continuum and lattice Monte Carlo simulation methods are used to study the adsorption of linear and comb polymers on flat surfaces. Selected polymer segments, located at the tips of the side chains in comb polymers or equally spaced along the linear polymers, are attracted to each other and to the surface via square-well potentials. The rest of the polymer segments are modeled as tangent hard spheres in the continuum model and as self-avoiding random walks in the lattice model. Results are presented in terms of segment-density profiles, distribution functions, and radii of gyration of the adsorbed polymers. At infinite dilution the presence of short side chains promotes the adsorption of polymers favoring both a decrease in the depletion-layer thickness and a spreading of the polymer molecule on the surface. The presence of long side chains favors the adsorption of polymers on the surface, but does not permit the spreading of the polymers. At finite concentration linear polymers and comb polymers with long side chains readily adsorb on the solid surface, while comb polymers with short side chains are unlikely to adsorb. The simple models of comb copolymers with short side chains used here show properties similar to those of associating polymers and of globular proteins in aqueous solutions, and can be used as a first approximation to investigate the mechanism of adsorption of proteins onto hydrophobic surfaces.     

Temperature influence of nonionic polyethylene oxide and anionic polyacrylamide on flocculation and dewatering behavior of kaolinite dispersions

Nonionic polyethylene oxide (PEO) and anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) flocculation of kaolinite dispersions has been investigated at pH 7.5 in the temperature range 20-60 degrees C. The surface chemistry (zeta potential), particle interactions (shear yield stress), and dewatering behavior were also examined. An increase in the magnitude of zeta potential of kaolinite particles, in the absence of flocculant and at a fixed PEO and PAM concentration, with increasing temperature was observed. The zeta potential behavior of the flocculated particles indicated a decrease in the adsorbed polymer layer thickness, while at the same time, however, the adsorbed polymer density showed a significant increase with increasing temperature. These results suggest that polymer adsorption was accompanied by temperature-influenced conformation changes. The hydrodynamic diameter and supernatant solution viscosity of both polymers decreased with increasing temperature, consistent with a change in polymer-solvent interactions and conformation, prior to adsorption. The analysis of the free energy (DeltaG(ads)) of adsorption showed a strong temperature dependence and the adsorption process to be more entropically than enthalpically driven. The polymer conformation change and increased negative charge at the kaolinite particle surface with increasing temperature resulted in decreased polymer bridging and flocculation performance. Consequently, the shear yield stress and the rate and the extent of dewatering (consolidation) of the pulp decreased significantly at higher temperatures (>40 degrees C). The temperature effect was more pronounced in the presence of PEO than PAM, with 40 and 20 degrees C indicated as the optima for enhanced performance of the latter and former flocculants, respectively. The results demonstrate that a temperature-induced conformation change, together with polymer structure type, plays an important role in flocculation and dewatering behavior of kaolinite dispersions.     

Effect of solution pH on the stability of mixed silica -alumina suspension in the presence of polyacrylic acid (PAA) with different molecular weights

The influence of solution pH (in the range 3–9) on mixed silica-alumina suspension in the absence and presence of polyacrylic acid (PAA) was studied. The composition of the adsorbent was SiO₂ (97%) and Al₂O₃ (3%). The turbidimetry method was applied to record changes in the stability of the investigated systems as a function of time. It was shown that the suspension without the polymer is less stable at pH 3, whereas at pH 6 and 9, the systems were stable. PAA with molecular weights 100 000 and 240 000 at pH 3 (improvement of system stability conditions) and PAA 2 000 at pH 6 (deterioration of suspension stability) have a great effect on the silica-alumina suspension stability. The stabilization-flocculation properties of polyacrylic acid are a result of a specific conformation of its chains on the solid surface where it depends on the solution pH and the polymer molecular weight.     

Monte Carlo Calculations of Polymer Adsorption at the Entrance of Cylindrical Pores in Flat Adsorbing Surfaces

The influence of surface interactions on the conformation of flexible polymers partially confined inside narrow cylindrical pores in a flat surface is studied above the critical adsorption energy in a good solvent. We use a static configurational bias computational sampling method to calculate the adsorption free energy and the radius of gyration components parallel and perpendicular to the pore axis as a function of the polymer center of mass position at different degrees of confinement. We find strong free‐energy minima just in front of the pore entry for all degrees of confinement studied. At the location of the free‐energy minimum, polymers are partially adsorbed inside the pore and on the outer solid surface and adopt “drawing pin”‐like conformations. A distinct maximum in the average loop length at the pore entry indicates that the polymer bridges the pore entry of small pores.     

Adsorption/aggregation of surfactants and their mixtures at solid-liquid interfaces

Adsorption of surfactants and polymers at solid-liquid interfaces is used widely to modify interfacial properties in a variety of industrial processes such as flotation, ceramic processing, flocculation/dispersion, personal care product formulation and enhanced oil recovery. The behavior of surfactants and polymers at interfaces is determined by a number of forces, including electrostatic attraction, covalent bonding, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic bonding, and solvation and desolvation of various species. The extent and type of the forces involved varies depending on the adsorbate and the adsorbent, and also the composition and other characteristics of the solvent and dissolved components in it. The influence of such forces on the adsorption behavior is reviewed here from a thermodynamics point of view. The experimental results from microcalorimetric and spectroscopic studies of adsorbed layers of different surfactant and polymer systems at solid-liquid interfaces are also presented. Calorimetric data from the adsorption of an anionic surfactant, sodium octylbenzenesulfonate, and a non-ionic surfactant, dodecyloxyheptaethoxyethylalcohol, and their mixtures on alumina, yielded important thermodynamic information. It was found that the adsorption of anionic surfactants alone on alumina was initially highly exothermic due to the electrostatic interaction with the substrate. Further adsorption leading to a solloid (hemimicelle) formation is proposed to be mainly an entropy-driven process. The entropy effect was found to be more pronounced for the adsorption of anionic-non-ionic surfactant mixtures than for the anionic surfactant alone. Fluorescence studies using a pyrene probe on an adsorbed surfactant and polymer layers, along with electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, reveal the role of surface aggregation and the conformation of the adsorbed molecules in controlling the dispersion and wettability of the system.     

Studies of the Influence of Polyelectrolyte Adsorption on Some Properties of the Electrical Double Layer of ZrO2- Electrolyte Solution Interface

An influence of the molecular weight of the polymer and inorganic contaminations of zirconia on the adsorption and electrokinetic properties on ZrO₂-electrolyte solution interface was studied. Two polymers were used; polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyacrylamide (PAM). On the basis of the obtained dependencies, main factors responsible for observed changes of zeta potential and surface charge of washed and contaminated ZrO₂ were determined. It was showed, that the change of ionic structure in the Stem layer depends on the number and arrangements of-COOH groups in PAA and PAM macromolecules. These groups are responsible for the conformation of polymer chains near the surface and have direct influence on the amount of the adsorbed polyelectrolyte. The inorganic ions, present on the surface of the oxide, blocking some part of active sites, making them inaccessible for adsorbing by carboxylic groups polymer chains. That makes the adsorption on the contaminated oxide lower than on the washed one. From the comparison of the determined values of the diffuse layer charge and surface charge, the main factor influencing the zeta potential changes at different pH, molecular weight and polymer concentration was determined. Also was demonstrated, that the contaminations of the solid are reason for considerable shift of pH_pzc in relation to pH_icpof the zirconia. Thickness of the adsorption layers and free energies of the adsorption of polyacrylic acid and polyacrylamide on the surface of ZrO₂ were calculated.     

端基功能化聚合物的表面性能

综述了端基功能化聚合物表面结构与性能的最新研究进展.聚合物端基功能化是实现聚合物表面改性的一种有效技术.通过端基功能化可以精确控制聚合物表面功能基团的种类和数量,从而影响聚合物表面的化学结构与性能.重点论述了功能化端基在聚合物表面的离析现象和产生这一现象的原因,以及功能化端基对聚合物表面分子运动能力的影响.本文还介绍了近年来用于研究端基功能化聚合物表面的表征新技术,如SFG、NR、SSIMS等.对端基功能化聚合物表面的环境响应性也进行了阐述.指出了利用不同功能化端基可以有效地控制聚合物表面的亲疏水性.并对端基功能化聚合物的应用进行了展望.     

The Research of Biomedical Intelligent Polymer Materials

The properties of biomedical intelligent polymer materials can be changed obviously when there is a little physical or chemical change caused by external condition. They are in the forms of solids, solutions and the polymers on the surface of carrier, and include water solution of hydrophilic polymers, cross-linking hydrophilic polymers(i.e. hydrogels) and the polymers on the surface of carrier. The environmental stimulating factors are temperature, pH value, composition of solution, ionic intention, light intention, electric field, stress field and magnetic field etc.. The properties of intelligent polymer are those of phase, photics, mechanics, electric field, surface energy,reaction ratio, penetrating ratio and recognition etc..Stimulation-response of intelligent water-soluble polymerWater-soluble intelligent polymer can be separated out from solution under special external condition. It can be used as the switch of temperature or pH indicator. When water-soluble intelligent polymer is mixed with soluble-enzyme matter or cell suspension, the polymer can bring phase separation and react with soluble-enzyme matter or cell membrane through accepting some external stimulation. Other water-soluble intelligent polymer is that can make the main chemical group of some natural biomolecular recognition sequence section to arrange on skeleton of polymer at random. It is the same ratio as natural biomolecules.Stimulation-response of intelligent polymer of carrier surface Intelligent polymer can be fixed on the surface of solid polymer carrier through chemical grafting or physical adsorption. When the external conditions are changed, the thickness, humidity and electric field of the surface layer will be changed. Intelligent polymer can be preparated the permanence switch by precipitating into the hole of porous surface, and it can control on-off state of the hole. When protein or cell interacts with intelligent polymer surface to be placed in to open or close, they can be selectively absorbed on hydrophobic surface.Stimulation-response of intelligent polymer hydrogelIntelligent polymer hydrogel's construction, physical property, and chemical property can change with the changing of external environmental conditions. When environmental stimulation signal, for example, solution composition, pH value, ionic intention, temperature, light intention, electric field,magnetic field and substance etc. changes, the intelligent polymer will occur to break of volume.This is the intelligence of polymer hydrogel.The intelligence of these polymers will be widely applied in biomedical fields.     

石英晶体微天平在高分子科学中的应用

固/液界面上高分子的行为直接影响着界面的物理和化学性质.对于高分子在界面的动态行为,由于缺乏有效的手段,检测一直十分困难.最近,一种频率-耗散联用型石英晶体微天平(QCM-D)问世,它能够同时检测固/液界面上有关高分子质量和结构的变化,因而可应用于界面高分子研究的多个方面.本文介绍石英晶体微天平的基本原理,并综述作者实验室最近几年利用QCM-D开展的若干工作,包括固/液界面上高分子链的构象变化,固/液界面上高分子的吸附,高分子降解动力学和聚电解质的"层层组装"等方面.     

Recent progress in EPR study of spin labeled polymers and spin probed polymer systems

The EPR technique is commonly used for the detection and characterization of paramagnetic centers in chemical science. This method can provides a lot of information, such as identity, structure, dynamics, interaction, orientation, glass transition temperature, adsorption behavior, functionality, phase behavior, nano-inhomogeneities, and conformation of the free-radical portion of the polymer chain. Most polymers intrinsically possess diamagnetic properties, so in order to study polymers with EPR, paramagnetic centers need to be incorporated into the polymer systems. Spin labeling and spin probing are main methods of covalently attaching paramagnetic centers to polymer chains or embedding them in polymer matrices through non-covalent interactions, respectively. Spin labeling and spin probing techniques for polymers and polymer systems (especially with nitroxide radicals) have also been studied, which have a profound impact on polymer science. This review focuses on the continuous wave EPR technique and introduces the recent advances in spin labeled polymers and spin probed polymer systems in EPR research.     

Computer Simulation Study on Adsorption and Conformation of Polymer Chains Driven by External Force

In this work, Monte Carlo simulations are used to study the critical adsorption behaviors of flexible polymer chains under the action of an external driving force F parallel to an attractive flat surface. The critical adsorption temperature T_c decreases linearly with increasing F,indicating that the driving force suppresses the adsorption of polymer. The conformation of polymer is also affected by the driving force.However, the effect of F is dependent on the competition between the driving force and temperature. Under strong force or at low temperature,the polymer is stretched along the direction of the force, while under weak force or at high temperature, the polymer is not stretched. When the force is comparable to the temperature, the polymer may be stretched perpendicular to the driving force, and below T_c, we observe conformational transitions from parallel to perpendicular and again to parallel by decreasing the temperature. We found that the perpendicular stretched conformation leads the polymer chain to synchronously move along the direction of the driving force. Moreover, the conformational transitions are attributed to the competition and cooperation between the driving force and the temperature.     

Temperature effects on the adsorption of polyvinyl alcohol on silica

The influence of temperature on the adsorption of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on a silica surface was studied from 15–35°C. The structure of the polymer adsorption layer was determined from spectrophotometric, viscosity and thermogravimetric measurements. The amount of PVA adsorbed, macromolecules’ conformation in solution, thickness of the polymer adsorption layer, and changes in the heating curve of SiO₂ with adsorbed polymer were determined. Temperature influences the PVA chain conformation in solution and the structure of the polymer adsorption layer. A temperature rise causes relaxation of polymer coils which results in an increase in the linear dimensions of PVA chains in the solution, the creation of a thicker adsorption layer, and an increase in polymer adsorbed. Polymer adsorption on the silica surface also causes changes in the heating curve of these systems. The mass losses due to heating are smallest for the systems obtained at 15°C because the least polymer is adsorbed at this temperature.      

Cooperativity in the adsorption of cellulose ethers and fibrinogen at liquid-solid interfaces

The possibility of reducing fibrinogen adsorption to solid surfaces by competitive adsorption of cellulose ethers (EHEC, HEC) was investigated. The surface concentration of fibrinogen adsorbed onto hydrophilic and hydrophobic (methylized) glass was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The immunoassay was calibrated by ellipsometry, using the initial mass transport limitation of adsorption for calculations of the maximum amount of adsorbed protein.At a hydrophobic surface, the presence of cellulose polymers caused a decrease of the adsorption of fibrinogen. The hydrophobic EHEC (cloud point 35°C) was most efficient and abolished surface-adsorption of the protein.At a hydrophilic surface, positive cooperativity was seen between fibrinogen and cellulose polymers. The hydrophilic HEC (cloud point >100°C) gave the most prominent effect.The results indicate that the affinity between a water soluble polymer or protein and a solid surface is not the only factor determining surface adsorption. The finding that there may be both positive and negative cooperativity in the adsorption of polymers shows the importance of polymer compatibility in layers of adsorbed polymers.     

Effect of surface grafted polymers on the adsorption of different model proteins

Adsorption of a model protein to a surface with end-grafted polymers was studied by Monte Carlo simulations. In the model the effect on protein adsorption in the presence of end-grafted polymers was evaluated by calculating the change in free energy between an end-grafted surface and a surface without polymers. The change in free energy was calculated using statistical mechanical perturbation theory. Apart from ordinary athermal polymer-polymer and protein-polymer interactions we also study a broad selection of systems by varying the interaction between proteins and polymers and effective polymer-solvent interactions. The interactions between the molecules span an interval from -0.5 to +0.5 kT. Consequently, general features of protein adsorption to end-grafted surfaces is investigated by systematically changing properties like hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the polymer, protein and surface as well as grafting density, degree of polymerization and protein size. Increasing grafting density as well as degree of polymerization decreases the adsorption of protein except in systems with attractive polymer-protein interactions, where adsorption increases with increasing chain length and higher grafting density. At a critical polymer-protein interaction neither chain length nor grafting density affects the free energy of adsorption. Hydrophilic polymers were found to prevent adsorption better than hydrophobic polymers. Very small particles with radii comparable to the size of a polymer segment were, however, better excluded from the surface when using hydrophobic than hydrophilic polymers. For systems with attractive polymer-protein interaction not only the volume of the protein was shown to be of importance but also the size of the exposed surface.     

Modification of polymers by adsorption phenomena

The adsorption of ions and amphiphilic molecules on solid polymers is investigated by direct force measurements using an atomic force microscope (AFM). It is shown that electrolyte ions are changing the surface potentials of the solid polymers as well as their adhesive properties. The experiments show that the interaction with a negatively charged probe is dramatically decreased by the adsorption of anions. The adsorption isotherms are determined by zeta potential measurements (streaming potential of flat plates). In presence of adsorbing anions, the attractive interaction and the adhesion are reduced and can be eliminated completely. So, even solutions of simple electrolyte ions can be applied intentionally in order to modify the interaction of polymer surfaces. A wide variety of technological applications becomes accessible.     

Synthesis of surface molecularly imprinted polymer and the selective solid phase extraction of imidazole from its structural analogs

A surface molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by using imidazole as the template and modified silica particles as the support material. The static adsorption, solid phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) experiments were performed to investigate the adsorption properties and selective recognition characteristics of the polymer for imidazole and its structural analogs. It was shown that the maximum binding capacities of imidazole on the MIP and the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) were 312 and 169 μmol g⁻¹, respectively. The adsorption was fast and the adsorption equilibrium was achieved in 30 min. The binding process could be described by pseudo-second order kinetics. Compared with the corresponding non-imprinted polymer, the molecularly imprinted polymer exhibited much higher adsorption performance and selectivity for imidazole. The selective separation of imidazole from a mixture of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C₆mim][Br]) and 2,4-dichlorophenol could be achieved on the MIP-SPE column. The recoveries of imidazole and [C₆mim][Br] were 97.6-102.7% and 12.2-17.3%, respectively, but 2,4-dichlorophenol could not be retained on the column. The surface molecularly imprinted polymer presented here may find useful application as a solid phase absorbent to separate trace imidazole in environmental water samples. This may also form the basis for our research program on the preparation and application of alkyl-imidazolium imprinted polymers.