Polymer-water interfacial tension

Polymer/water interfacial tension and particle surface... 

The film formation process is extremely complex, and there are a number of theories — or more accurately, schools of theories — to describe it. A major point of difference among them is the driving force for particle deformation surface tension of the polymer particles. Van der Waals attraction, polymer-water interfacial tension, capillary pressure at the air-water interface, or combinations of the above. These models of the mechanism of latex film formation are necessary in order to improve existing waterborne paints and to design the next generation. To improve the rate of film fonnation, for example, it is important to know if the main driving force for coalescence is located at the interface between polymer and water, between water and air, or between polymer particles. This location determines which surface tension or surface energies should be optimized. 

Gauthier and colleagues have pointed out that polymer-water interfacial tension and capillary pressure at the air-water interface are expressions of the same physical phenomenon and can be described by the Young and Laplace laws for surface energy [5]. The fact that there are two minimum film formation temperatures, one wet and one "dry," may be an indication that the receding polymer-water interface and evaporating interstitial water are both driving the film formation (see Section 3.4). 

Figure 4.3 shows several types of morphologies of the particles produced. The incompatibility of the seed polymer with the newly formed polymer results in phase separation and cluster formation. The size of the clusters increases by both polymerization and cluster aggregation. In addition, the clusters tend to reach an equilibrium morphology, which minimizes the interfacial energy of the system and depends on the polymer-polymer and polymer-water interfacial tensions [40-44]. 

The temperature (or salinity) at which optimal temperature (or optimal salinity), because at that temperature (or salinity) the oil—water interfacial tension is a minimum, which is optimum for oil recovery. For historical reasons, the optimal temperature is also known as the HLB (hydrophilic—lipophilic balance) temperature (42,43) or phase inversion temperature (PIT) (44). For most systems, all three tensions are very low for Tlc < T < Tuc, and the tensions of the middle-phase microemulsion with the other two phases can be in the range 10 5—10 7 N/m. These values are about three orders of magnitude smaller than the interfacial tensions produced by nonmicroemulsion surfactant solutions near the critical micelle concentration. Indeed, it is this huge reduction of interfacial tension which makes micellar-polymer EOR and its SEAR counterpart physically possible. 

Suspension polymerization occurs in water with the liquid monomer dispersed by agitaliorL The polymer is produced as a dispersed solid phase fiom polymerization of initiator-containing, 10 to 500 pm droplets under kinetics that match those of the bulk reaction of the monomer (7). The suspension is stabilized by insoluble organic or inorganic solids, electrolytes to increase monomer-water interfacial tension, and water soluble polymers that increase aqueous viscosity. Suspension polymerization is commonly used to synthesize two polymers covered in this book, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride. 

In contrast, because of the flexible nature of polyethylene oxide, the polymer segments can penetrate the polar surface of the micelles and modify the nature, of that interface. Assuming that polymer segments shield about 10 (per surfactant molecule) of the hydrocarbon core area of the micelle from water, ( Pnterfacial is approximately -1.2 RT, takii the hydrocarbon water interfacial tension to be 50 dynes/cm. A can be estimated in a manner similar to that used... 

Surfactant slugs are frequently used in EOR processes to mobilize residual oil by changing rock wettability or by reducing oil/water interfacial tension. To increase the efficiency of such processes, polymers can be either co-injected with the surfactant slug or as a chase. In both cases, surfactant and polymer mixing is to be expected. The effects of Triton X-100 (a nonionic surfactant) and Neodol 25-3S (an anionic surfactant) on the viscosity of HPAM solutions were examined by Nasr-El-Din et al. [41]. 

Dobler F, Pith T, Lambla M, Holl Y. Coalescene Mechanisms of polymer colloids. 1. Coalescence under the influence of particle-water interfacial tension. J CoU Interface Sci 1992 152 ... 

Here Vp is the volume fraction of polymer (related to the conversion), X is the number average degree of polymerisation of the polymer, x is the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between the monomer and the polymer, R is the gas constant and T the temperature. Um is the molar volume of the monomer, y is the particle-water interfacial tension and To is the radius of the unswollen micelles, vesicles and/or latex particles. [M]a is the concentration of monomer in the aqueous phase and [M]a,sat the saturation concentration of monomer in aqueous phase. Figure 3.3 shows the contributions of the different terms of Equation 3.10 to the Vanzo equation. For a more detailed discussion see also Section 4.2 and Figure 4.5. 

As shown in the simulation of the morphology of hybrid monomer-clay miniemulsion droplets (Figures 10.2 and 10.4), the encapsulation of clay platelets is possible provided that the clay/water interfacial tension is very high (superhydrophobic clay) and that the clay/monomer interfacial tension is low (high compatibility between clay and monomer). Another aspect that the simulations show is that the size of the clay platelets might also play a role in the encapsulation of the clay in the monomer droplets (polymer particles). 

MethylceUulose reduces surface and interfacial tension. MethylceUulose forms high strength films and sheets that are clear, water-soluble, and oU-and grease-resistant, and have low oxygen and moisture vapor transmission rates (see Barrier polymers). 

The rheological properties of a fluid interface may be characterized by four parameters surface shear viscosity and elasticity, and surface dilational viscosity and elasticity. When polymer monolayers are present at such interfaces, viscoelastic behavior has been observed (1,2), but theoretical progress has been slow. The adsorption of amphiphilic polymers at the interface in liquid emulsions stabilizes the particles mainly through osmotic pressure developed upon close approach. This has become known as steric stabilization (3,4.5). In this paper, the dynamic behavior of amphiphilic, hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl celluloses (HM-HEC), was studied. In previous studies HM-HEC s were found to greatly reduce liquid/liquid interfacial tensions even at very low polymer concentrations, and were extremely effective emulsifiers for organic liquids in water (6). 

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