Binary Polymer Mixtures in Selective Solvents: Interfacial Structure

✍ Scribed by Sergei S. Abramchuk; Alexander N. Semenov; Alexei R. Khokhlov

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 164 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1022-1344
• DOI: 10.1002/mats.200350029

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Summary: The interaction of a large polymer droplet (formed by a poorly soluble polymer A) with a soluble polymer additive (polymer B) is investigated in the framework of a mean‐field approach. We found that polymer B may tend to adsorb on the surface of the droplet even when it is immiscible with polymer A in the droplet and is soluble in the solvent surrounding the droplet. We calculated the concentration profiles of both polymers A and B near the interface and established conditions for polymer B accumulation at the interface. The dependencies of the surface tension and the interfacial excess of polymer B on its bulk concentration are also calculated. We found that even a very small amount of homopolymer B additive may result in a significant reduction of the interfacial tension (by a factor of 2). The effect is stronger if the additive is more flexible than the insoluble polymer.

The region of parameters where B from dilute solution is adsorbed at the A/solvent interface (II).

imageThe region of parameters where B from dilute solution is adsorbed at the A/solvent interface (II).