| Abstract: | The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results are consistent with the differential scanning calorimetric results and verify the anomalous crystallization of water in 50% poly(vinyl methyl ether) aqueous solution during heating. Below about ?34 °C, the water/polymer complex was not damaged, and the water still associated with the polymer. When heating to about ?34 °C, the associated water started to free from the unpolar (methyl group) and polar‐site (ether‐oxygen group) interaction fields of polymer gradually. Then crystallization of water was induced in this system at temperatures ranging from ?34 to ?24 °C. The FTIR data also indicate that the structure of water started to change first upon forming strong H bonds among water molecules, and then the dehydration of the polymer began to proceed subsequently when the anomalous crystallization of water occurred. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2772–2779, 2002 |
