Rheological properties of hydrophobically modified polyelectrolyte systems: Concentration effects

The behavior of hydrophobically modified alkali‐soluble associative polymer (HASE) at various polymer concentrations was investigated. The results showed that the formation of network structure, which enhances the rheological behavior, depends on two critical polymer concentrations, namely the critical cluster overlapping concentration (C*) and the established network concentration (C**). C* is defined as the critical concentration for the transformation of individual cluster to a transient network structure. C** represents the critical concentration in the semidilute regime where the formation of transient network is completely established. Experimental results demonstrated that the polymer solutions transformed from a predominantly viscous behavior below C* to one with dominant elastic properties above C**. Because of the formation of larger aggregation number above C**, the relaxation times of the polymer systems shift to longer times. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5166–5173, 2006     

Interaction between a tertiary amine methacrylate based polyelectrolyte and a sodium montmorillonite dispersion and its rheological and colloidal properties

The rheological and colloidal properties of sodium montmorillonite dispersions were investigated in the presence of a special type of cationic polymer [modified poly(ethylene glycol)]. 2‐(Dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate was polymerized with monomethoxy‐capped oligo(ethylene glycol) via aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization. The tertiary amine residues of the resulting polymer were then quaternized with methyl iodide to obtain a cationic polyelectrolyte. The rheology and ζ‐potential experiments showed that the cationic polymer adsorbed onto the sodium montmorillonite surface strongly. The rheological parameters (plastic viscosity and yield value) were obtained with a rotational low‐shear rheometer. The results indicated a gradual increase in gelation with the addition of the cationic polymer, which reached a maximum at a cationic polymer concentration of 0.4–0.8 g/L. This gel‐like dispersion showed pronounced thixotropy. A further increase in the polymer concentration resulted in a reduction in this gelation. The adsorption of the cationic polymer onto the clay surface reduced the ζ potential to small values, but no isoelectric point was observed. The basal‐spacing measurements showed that the cationic polymer strongly adsorbed onto the sodium montmorillonite instead of entering the montmorillonite layers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 300–306, 2005     

Interactions between cationic conjugated polyelectrolyte and DNA and a label‐free method for DNA detection based on conjugated polyelectrolyte complexes

The electrostatic complexes of single‐stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) and a cationic conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE), poly{9,9‐di[3‐(1‐ethyl‐1,1‐dimethyl ammonio)propyl]‐2,7‐fluorenyl‐alt‐1,4‐phenylene dibromide} (PFN), were investigated. Fluorescence emission of PFN solution (10 μmol/L) can be drastically quenched to about one fourth of its original intensity in the presence of a trace amount (2.6 μmol/L) of ssDNA. The effect of oligonucleotide length on the fluorescence quenching behavior was also investigated. In contrast to single‐stranded DNA with 20 bases (ssDNA‐20), ssDNA with 40 bases (ssDNA‐40) induces a relatively higher quenching efficiency and larger red‐shift of PFN emission maximum. The binding constant of ssDNA‐20 and PFN is estimated to be 1.12 × 10²¹. At extremely low concentration (10 nmol/L), PFN can respond to 0.2 nmol/L (or 2 × 10^?10 mol/L) of ssDNA‐20 by significant enhancement of its emission intensity. The result is contrary to the observation in the relative higher concentration, and its mechanism is postulated. Based on the high binding ability of ssDNA with cationic CPE, a label‐free method for ssDNA detection is designed. It uses an electrostatic complex of cationic PFN and an anionic CPE, which exhibits fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the two components. Addition of ssDNA improves the FRET extent, indicated by obvious change of fluorescence spectra of the conjugated polyelectrolyte complex. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Solution properties of ionic hydrophobically associating polyacrylamide with an arylalkyl group

Copolymers of acrylamide, 2‐acrylamide‐2‐methylpropanesulfate (AMPS), and hydrophobic monomer N‐arylalkylacrylamide (BAAM) were synthesized by free‐radical micellar copolymerization. The effects of the copolymer, BAAM, AMPS, and NaCl concentrations and the pH value on the apparent viscosity of the copolymers were studied. The solution viscosities increased sharply when the copolymer concentration was higher than the critical associating concentration. The apparent viscosities of aqueous solutions of poly(N‐arylalkylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide‐co‐2‐acrylamide‐2‐methylpropanesulfate) (PBAMS) increased with increasing BAAM and AMPS concentrations. PBAMS exhibited good salt resistance. With increasing pH, the apparent viscosities first increased and then decreased. Dilute PBAMS solutions exhibited Newtonian behavior, whereas semidilute aqueous and salt solutions exhibited shear‐thickening behavior at a lower shear rate and pseudoplastic behavior at a higher rate. Upon the removal of shear, the aqueous solution viscosities recovered and became even greater than the original viscosity, but the salt solution viscosities could not recover instantaneously. The elastic properties of PBAMS solutions were more dominant than the viscous properties, and this suggested a significant buildup of a network structure. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 316–321, 2005     

Rheological behavior of pH‐responsive associating ionic polymers of diallyammonium salts and sulfur dioxide

In this study, the viscoelastic behavior of hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes obtained from the hydrolysis of cationic acid salts (CAS's) as a function of their zwitterion fraction (x) and anion fraction (z) was studied. The dynamic viscosity (η′) dependence on frequency of polymer solutions of polybetaine/anionic polyelectrolyte (APE) with various compositions of x and z in 0.1N NaCl showed typical shear thinning behavior. η′ of a solution of CAS 4 (M₂‐4 (4 mol % hydrophobe)) attained a maximum value in the presence of 1.67 equiv of NaOH (corresponding to an x : z ratio of 33 : 67) and decreased with any further addition of NaOH. We suggest this maximum to be a result of a combined effect of coil expansion and hydrophobic association. The influence of the temperature and concentration on η′ of CAS 4 (M₂‐4) treated with 1.67 equiv of NaOH was also investigated. The rheology of CAS 4 (M₂‐4) samples treated with 1.67, 1.81, and 2.0 equiv of NaOH suggested a reversible network. However, for APE 7 (M₂‐5 (5 mol % hydrophobe)), elastic behavior was dominant, and the formation of highly interconnected three‐dimensional networks was suggested. At lower x : z ratios, the effect of coil expansion due to a higher APE fraction was more than counterbalanced by the lower degree of intermolecular hydrophobic associations, whereas at higher x : z ratios, coil contraction became the predominant effect. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Flocculation by cationic polyelectrolytes: Relating efficiency with polyelectrolyte characteristics

A series of acrylamide/dimethylaminoethylacrylate methyl chloride copolymers (AM‐co‐DMAEA) was evaluated as flocculants for model Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) in distilled water. These cationic polyelectrolytes (PEL) differed by their AM/DMAEA ratio, i.e., their charge density, chain architecture (linear and branched), their intrinsic viscosity (IV), and zeta potential of their aqueous solutions. The IV being directly related to the hydrodynamic volume of the PEL and the zeta potential reflecting the effective charges in suspension were selected for practically useful correlations with flocculation performance. The fractal dimension (d_F) and the scattering exponent (SE) of the flocs, analyzed by the laser diffraction method, were taken as indication of primary particle and aggregate assembly. For the optimum PEL dosage, SE and d_F varied with the IV and zeta potential. It was observable that floc size, floc resistance, and floc reorganization correlate with the PEL characteristics. Copolymers with lower IV, which is here associated with PEL of similar molar mass but lower charge density, yielded larger and less resistant flocs. Copolymers with higher IV originated smaller more compact flocs being more resistant. In high shear situations, where floc breakage should be avoided, as it is the case in papermaking, polymers with high IV yielding large SE are advantageous. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Physicochemical study of the complexation of poly(acrylic acid) with Cu2+ ions in water

The complexation of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with Cu²⁺ ions in a dilute aqueous solution has been investigated as a function of the mixing molar ratio of the two species and the neutralization degree (i) of PAA by means of turbidimetry, viscometry, potentiometry, and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometry. Turbidimetry reveals that, for i > 0.1, phase separation takes place when the mixing ratio approaches the critical value of two carboxylate ions per Cu²⁺ ion, which is indicative of the formation of a 2 : 1 polymer/metal complex. This complex is very compact, as evidenced by the very low reduced viscosity values obtained just before phase separation. The variation of the fraction of complexed carboxylate anions and complexed Cu²⁺ ions can be followed as a function of the mixing ratio and i from the analysis of the potentiometric results for i < 0.5. Finally, the combination of the potentiometric and UV–vis spectrophotometric results supports the idea that both mononuclear and binuclear PAA/Cu²⁺ complexes are formed in an aqueous solution, depending on the mixing ratio and i. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Highly concentrated cationic flocculants based on 80/20 wt % [2‐(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride/acrylamide in an inverse microemulsion: Influence of the copolymerization variables on the flocculation performance

The influence of the total comonomer concentration (TCC; 30–42 wt %), emulsifier concentration (EC; 7.3–23 wt %), hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB; 9–9.9), crosslinking agent (N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide) concentration (CAC; 0–122.8 ppm with respect to TCC), and isopropyl alcohol (chain‐transfer agent) concentration (IPC; 0–1.5 wt % with respect to TCC) on the flocculation performance (FP) of 80/20 wt % acrylamide (AM)/[2‐(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (ADQUAT) copolymers obtained by semicontinuous inverse microemulsion copolymerization was studied with capillary suction time testing for FP assessment on anaerobic digested sludges. FP increased as TCC decreased, was nearly unaffected by EC, was maximum with an HLB of 9.5, decreased strongly with CAC, and showed a peak value with an IPC of 1 wt %. At a very high TCC, copolymer growth in a highly collapsed state resulted in greatly structured, high weight‐average molar mass flocculants with decreased swelling capacities (SCs), which did not favor bridging flocculation, and in increased shielding of their positive charges, which did not favor charge neutralization flocculation. However, industrially needed latices with both high TCC and good FP could be obtained by the addition of isopropyl alcohol, which, below a concentration of 1 wt %, improved FP by decreasing the weight‐average molar mass and thereby enhancing SC while maintaining long enough chains to be effective for bridging flocculation. On the basis of the results, new star‐shaped ADQUAT/AM copolymers are envisioned as flocculants with superior FP. A synthetic route is proposed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Anisotropic in vitro vessel model using poly(vinyl alcohol) hydro gel and mesh material

In the present study, the authors fabricated straight multilayer hybrid tubular in vitro vessel models (inner diameter D_in = 10 mm; thickness T = 4 mm) composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA‐H) and anisotropic mesh materials. The authors performed tensile, stress‐relaxation and cyclic‐tensile tests using axial and circumferential test pieces as well as pressure‐diameter (P‐D) tests using tubular test piece. In the tensile and stress‐relaxation tests, the anisotropic and nonlinear mechanical properties and hysteresis characteristic of the in vitro models were confirmed. The in vitro models also showed behavior qualitatively similar to that of native arteries in cycle‐tensile and P‐D tests. These results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of native vessels can be duplicated in an in vitro model by controlling the components of the mesh material, the orientation of elastic fibers in the mesh material, and the concentration and thickness of PVA‐H layers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis of water‐soluble thermosensitive polymers having phosphonium groups from methacryloyloxyethyl trialkyl phosphonium chlorides–N‐isopropylacrylamide copolymers and their functions

Water‐soluble thermosensitive polymers having phosphonium groups were synthesized by the copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with methacryloyloxyethyl trialkyl phosphonium chlorides (METRs) having varying alkyl lengths. The relative viscosities of the copolymer solutions increased with increasing content of phosphonium groups in the copolymers and decreased with increasing chain length of alkyl chains in the phosphonium groups. However, the copolymers of METR with octyl groups in phosphonium groups (METO) and NIPAAm became water insoluble with increasing contents of METO moieties in the copolymers. The transmittance at 660 nm of the copolymer solutions above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) decreased gradually with increasing temperature and decreased with increasing chain length of alkyl chains in the phosphonium groups. The transmittance at 660 nm of the copolymer solutions above the LCST was greatly affected by the addition of neutral salts such as KCl. The copolymers of METR with ethyl groups in phosphonium groups and NIPAAm and those of METR with butyl groups in phosphonium groups and NIPAAm had high flocculating abilities against bacterial suspensions. The METO–NIPAAm copolymer was found to have a high antibacterial activity. The flocculating ability and the antibacterial activity of the copolymers were affected by not only the content of phosphonium groups but also the alkyl chain length in the phosphonium groups in the copolymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 386–393, 2003     

Electrolyte‐ and pH‐responsive polyampholytes with potential as viscosity‐control agents in enhanced petroleum recovery

Low‐charge‐density amphoteric copolymers and terpolymers composed of AM, the cationic comonomer (3‐acrylamidopropyl)trimethyl ammonium chloride, and amino acid derived monomers (e.g., N‐acryloyl valine, N‐acryloyl alanine, and N‐acryloyl aspartate) have been prepared via free‐radical polymerization in aqueous media. These terpolymers with random charge distributions have been compared to terpolymers of like compositions containing the anionic comonomer sodium 3‐acrylamido‐3‐methylbutanoate. Terpolymer compositions determined by ¹³C‐ and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, terpolymer molecular weights and polydispersity indices obtained via size exclusion chromatography/multi‐angle laser light scattering, and hydrodynamic dimensions determined via dynamic light scattering have allowed a direct comparison of the fundamental parameters affecting the behavioral characteristics. The solution properties of low‐charge‐density amphoteric copolymers and terpolymers have been studied as functions of the solution pH, ionic strength, and polymer concentration. The low‐charge‐density terpolymers display excellent solubility in deionized water with no phase separation. The charge‐balanced terpolymers exhibit antipolyelectrolyte behavior at pH values greater than or equal to 6.5 ± 0.2. As the solution pH decreases, these charge‐balanced terpolymers become increasingly cationic because of the protonation of the anionic repeat units. The aqueous solution behavior (i.e., globule‐ to‐coil transition at the isoelectric point in the presence of salt and globule elongation with increasing charge asymmetry) of the terpolymers in the dilute regime correlates well with that predicted by the polyampholyte solution theories. An examination of the comonomer charge density, hydrogen‐bonding ability, and spacer group (e.g., the moiety separating the ionic group from the polymer chain) indicates that conformational restrictions of the sodium 3‐acrylamido‐3‐methylbutanoate and N‐acryloyl valine segments result in increased chain stiffness and higher solution viscosities in deionized water and brine solutions. On the other hand, the terpolymers with N‐acryloyl alanine and N‐acryloyl aspartate segments are more responsive to changes in the salt concentration. An assessment of the effects of the terpolymer structure on the viscosity under specified conditions of the ionic strength and pH from these studies should allow for rational design of optimized systems for enhanced petroleum recovery. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007.     

Semicontinuous copolymerization of 80/20 wt % [2‐(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride/acrylamide in an inverse microemulsion at high comonomer concentrations

The semicontinuous inverse microemulsion copolymerization of 80/20 wt % [2‐(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride/acrylamide in an isoparaffin solvent at high comonomer concentrations (30–42 wt %) was studied with a mixture of nonionic surfactants (Crill 43 and Softanol 90) as the emulsifier and sodium metabisulfite as the initiator. The influence of the total comonomer concentration (TCC), emulsifier concentration (EC), hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB), isopropyl alcohol (chain‐transfer agent) concentration (IPC), and crosslinking agent concentration (CAC) on the weight‐average molar mass (M_w), absolute viscosity (BV), and viscometric structuring index (VSI) of the obtained copolymers was analyzed. M_w and BV increased with TCC and HLB and decreased with EC. At the higher TCC, M_w decreased with IPC; meanwhile, at the lower TCC, M_w increased with IPC above 0.5 wt %. VSI increased with TCC, HLB, and IPC and decreased with EC. VSI increased dramatically with CAC, whereas BV showed a peak at the CAC of 10 ppm. In the absence of both chain‐transfer and crosslinking agents, M_w increased linearly with VSI, and this suggests that linear copolymers of very high M_w values cannot be obtained by inverse microemulsion copolymerization, at least for high TCCs. The results are explained in terms of both the collapsed state of the copolymer chains inside the latex particles and changes in the interface structure and composition. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Electrochemical behaviors of polyaniline–poly(styrene‐sulfonic acid) complexes and related films

This research focuses on the syntheses of polyaniline with poly(styrenesulfonic acid) and their electrochemical behavior, including absorbance behavior and electrochemical response time of polyaniline‐poly(styrenesulfonic acid) [PANI–PSSA]. The complexes PANI–PSSA were prepared by electrochemical polymerization of monomer (aniline) with PSSA, using indium‐tin oxide (ITO) as working electrode in 1M HCl solution. Polyaniline (PANI), poly(o‐phenetidine)–poly(styrenesulfonic acid) [POP–PSSA], and poly(2‐ethylaniline)–poly(styrenesulfonic acid) [P2E‐PSSA] also were prepared by electrochemical polymerization and to be the reference samples. The products were characterized by IR, VIS, EPR, water solubility, elemental analysis, conductivity, SEM, and TEM. IR spectral studies shows that the structure of PANI–PSSA complexes is similar to that of polyaniline. EPR and visible spectra indicate the formation of polarons. The morphology of the blend were investigated by SEM and TEM, which indicate the conducting component and electrically conductive property of the polymer complexes. Elemental analysis results show that PANI–PSSA has a nitrogen to sulfur ratio (N/S) of 38%, lower than that for POP–PSSA (52%) and P2E–PSSA (41%). Conductivity of the complexes are around 10^?2 S/cm, solubility of PANI–PSSA in water is 3.1 g/L. The UV‐Vis. absorbance spectra of the hybrid organic/inorganic complementary electro‐chromic device (ECD), comprising a polyaniline–poly(styrenesulfonic acid) [PANI–PSSA] complexes and tungsten oxide (WO₃) thin film coupled in combination with a polymer electrolyte poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐propane‐sulfonic acid) [PAMPSA]. PANI–PSSA microstructure surface images have been studied by AFM. By applying a potential of ～3.0 V across the two external ITO contacts, we are able to modulate the light absorption also in the UV‐Vis region (200–900 nm) wavelength region. For example, the absorption changes from 1.20 to 0.6 at 720 nm. The complexes PANI–PSSA, POP–PSSA, and P2E–PSSA were prepared by electrochemical polymerization of monomer (aniline, o‐phenetidine, or 2‐ethylaniline) with poly(styrenesulfonic acid), using ITO as working electrode in 1M HCl solution, respectively. UV‐Vis spectra measurements shows the evidences for the dopped polyaniline system to be a highly electrochemical response time, recorded at the temperature 298 K, and the results were further analyzed on the basis of the color‐ discolor model, which is a typical of protontation systems. Under the reaction time (3 s) and monomer (aniline, o‐phenetidine, 2‐ethylaniline) concentration (0.6M) with PSSA (0.15M), the best electrochemical color and discolor time of the PANI–PSSA is slower than POP–PSSA complexes (125/125 ms; thickness, 3.00 μm) and P2E–PSSA complexes. Under the same thickness (10 μm), the best electrochemical color and discolor time of the PANI–PSSA complexes is 1500/750 ms, that is much slower than P2E–PSSA complexes (750/500 ms) and POP–PSSA complexes (500/250 ms). In film growing rate, the PANI–PSSA complexes (0.54 μm/s) are slower than P2E–PSSA complexes (0.79 μm/s) and POP–PSSA complexes (1.00 μm/s), it can be attributed to the substituted polyaniline that presence of electro‐donating (? OC₂H₅ or ? C₂H₅₎ group present in aniline monomer. The EPR spectra of the samples were recorded both at 298 K and 77 K, and were further analyzed on the basis of the polaron–bipolaron model. The narrower line‐width of the substituted polyaniline complexes arises due to polarons; i.e., it is proposed that charge transport take place through both polarons and bipolarons, compared to their salts can be attributed to the lower degree of structural disorder, the oxygen absorption on the polymeric molecular complexes, and due to presence of electro‐donating (? OC₂H₅ or ? C₂H₅) group present in aniline monomer. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100:4023–4044, 2006     

Studies on surface tension of poly(vinyl alcohol): Effect of concentration,temperature, and addition of chaotropic agents

It is generally considered that the H‐bonds are responsible for the stabilization of network of PVA in water. The major types of intermolecular interactions from inorganic salts are responsible for the network of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and water, which ruptures the multiple H‐bonds between the ? OH groups of the polymer chains; therefore, various ions possessing abilities to affect these bonds result in salting out. It has been suggested that water molecules in the region of ionic hydration spheres must have strong orientation preferences, which could considerably restrict their ability to reorient and form hydration shells around nearby nonpolar solutes and thus affect the microstructure. In this article, our primary objective was to study the variation of surface tension, as it reflects the change in short‐range forces. Apart from this, we have also studied the surface tension behavior with the variation of concentration and temperature for different molecular weights of PVA. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 122–130, 2004     

Elongational flow studies on the phase separation of hydroxypropylcellulose solution

The phase separation of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) in a mixed solvent of glycerol and water was investigated by an elongational flow birefringence method. In the one‐phase region, the elongational flow birefringence had the characteristics of a typical coil‐stretch transition‐like pattern with a critical elongational strain rate $\dot \varepsilon_c.$ $\dot \varepsilon_c.$ increased monotonously with temperature, but in the vicinity of the phase‐separation point, $\dot \varepsilon_c.$ began to decrease even in the one‐phase region. In the two‐phase region, the flow‐induced birefringence pattern contained both a rigid rod‐like response and the coil‐stretch transition‐like response of a flexible polymer. The appearance of the rod‐like birefringence pattern indicates the association of HPC chains to form a precursor of the liquid‐crystalline phase formation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2984–2991, 2002     

Effect of medium pH on the reactivity ratios in acrylamide acrylic acid copolymerization

The copolymerization reactivity ratios of acrylic acid and acrylamide are found at pH 5 and pH 2. Automatic continuous online monitoring of polymerization reactions (ACOMP) has been used for the first time to monitor the synthesis of polyelectrolytic copolymers. The composition drift during the reactions revealed that at pH 5, the acrylamide participates more in the copolymer, and at pH 2, the acrylic acid incorporates in the system at a higher ratio. The copolymerization data were analyzed by a recent error in variables (EVM) type calculation method developed for obtaining the reactivity ratios by on‐line monitoring and gave at pH 5 reactivity ratios r_Aam = 1.88 ± 0.17, r_Aac = 0.80 ± 0.07 and at pH 2 r_Aam = 0.16 ± 0.04, r_Aac = 0.88 ± 0.08. The results show that the reactivity ratios depend strongly on the pH of the medium. The effect of polyelectrolytic interactions on the reactivity ratios is discussed in detail. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 968–974, 2007     

Preparation and characterization of a new coagulant based on the sago starch biopolymer and its application in water turbidity removal

A new organic coagulant, sago starch (SS)‐graft‐polyacrylamide (PAm), was prepared by the ceric‐ion‐induced redox polymerization of acrylamide (Am) onto SS at room temperature. The effects of the variation of the concentration of Am and the initiator on the percentages of yield and total conversion were investigated. The chemical composition, viscosity, and side‐chain‐average molecular weight of the obtained graft copolymers were determined. The newly obtained coagulant was tested for the treatment of the turbidity of water. The SS‐g‐PAm coagulants were found to achieve water turbidity removal up to 96.6%. The results of this study suggest that SS‐g‐PAm copolymer is a potential coagulant for reducing turbidity during water treatment. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Aqueous dispersion polymerization of amphoteric polyacrylamide

The terpolymer of acrylamide (AM), dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate methyl chloride (DMC), and acrylic acid (AA) was synthesized with their molar ratio of 70 : 15 : 15 through dispersion polymerization in aqueous solution of ammonium sulfate (AS), using poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate methyl chloride) (PDMC) as stabilizer and 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (V‐50) as initiator. The particle size of the terpolymer ranged from 5 to 8 μm and the intrinsic viscosity was from 5.5 to 11.6 dL g^?1. The terpolymer had anti‐ polyelectrolyte effect under low AS concentration, but polyelectrolyte effect with the concentration beyond 10%. Polymerization dispersion with low apparent viscosity, uniform particles, good stability, and high molecular weight terpolymer was obtained in single stage. The effects of varying concentrations of salt, stabilizer, and monomers on particle morphology and intrinsic viscosity were investigated. With increasing concentration of AS and PDMC, the intrinsic viscosity of terpolymer increased, then decreased afterward. However, it increased gradually with increase in monomer concentration. The particle size was enlarged with increasing of AS and monomer concentration and decreasing of PDMC concentration. The optimum condition was the concentrations of salt, stabilizer, and monomers 28%, 3.0%, and 8% to 15%, respectively. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Study of rheological behavior of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose

Hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose (BD‐HAHEC) was synthesized by the macromolecular reaction of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) with bromododecane (BD). Study of the effects of polymer concentration, shear rate, temperature, and electrolytes on the rheological behavior of BD‐HAHEC indicated that the polymers had high viscosity, excellent viscosity retention in brine water, good thermal stability, and surface activity. Furthermore, investigation of the micromorphology of BD‐HAHEC solutions revealed the close relationship of rheological behavior and a hydrophobically associating effect. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 3346–3352, 2006     

Synthesis of biodegradable amphiphilic thermo‐responsive multiblock polycarbonate and its self‐aggregation behavior in aqueous solution

Amphiphilic thermo‐responsive multiblock polycarbonates consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) were facilely synthesized using triphosgene as coupling agent. The structures and molecular characteristics of the polycarbonates were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR, FT‐IR and Gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The crystallization behavior and thermal properties of the polycarbonates were studied using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Surface tension measurements confirmed that the critical micelles concentration of polymeric micelles were concentration ranges, which varied from about 2–70 mg/L to 5–40 mg/L with increasing PEO/PPO composition ratio from 0.8 to 1. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments showed bimodal size distributions, the aggregates size increased with increasing the concentration of the polycarbonates aqueous solutions. The size of the aggregates acquired from TEM was smaller than that from DLS owing to the fact that TEM gave size of the aggregates in dry state rather than the hydrodynamic diameter. The degradation process revealed that the degradation rate of the aggregates could be accelerated with an increase in temperature. Moreover, the more the polycarbonate was hydrophilic, the faster was its degradation. Rheological measurements suggested that these multiblock polycarbonates were thermo‐responsive and by regulating the PEO/PPO composition ratio they could form a gel at 37°C. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009