Effects of pressure on the behavior of (hydroxypropyl)cellulose in aqueous solution

The effects of pressure and temperature on the phase behavior of aqueous solutions of (hydroxypropyl)cellulose (HPC) were in¶vestigated at low and high concentrations. In dilute solutions, the transition temperature (T _t) as measured by apparent light scattering increased with an increase in pressure at lower pressures, but decreased with increasing pressure above 100?MPa. At lower temperatures, the transition pressure (P _t) increased slightly with increasing temperature, but decreased with at temperatures above 10–15?°C. Both T _t and P _t showed a moderate polymer-concentration dependence and they also showed strong concentration dependence on salt; T _t and P _t decreased with increasing concentrations of KCl and K₂SO₄, whereas the addition of KI or KSCN increased T _t and P _t. The apparent absorbance of concentrated solutions (62.5%) of HPC, in a cholesteric (chiral nematic) mesophase, was also measured. The spectrum shifted to a longer wavelength under high pressure. These results could be explained by assuming that the helicoidal pitch was increased under elevated pressure, probably due to a decrease in the angle between the two semiflexible and twisted HPC molecules in adjacent planes under high pressure.