COLL 186 |
| Camille T Haynes and Robert Y. Lochhead. School of Polymers and High Performance Materials, The University of Southern Mississippi, Box 10076, Hatttiesburg, MS 39406-0076 |
| Interactions between polymers and montmorillonite clay have important commercial and industrial applications in the area of nanocomposites. However, few studies have been geared towards evaluating and probing these interactions. The objective of this research is to determine the mechanisms of interaction of model polyelectrolytes with montmorillonite clay surfaces in an aqueous medium. Poly(vinylamine) was chosen because changing the pH allowed the investigation of the effect of polymer charge density on interactions with clay. The conformation of polyvinylamine was restricted by hydrophobic modification to poly(vinylamine-co-methoxybenzoylvinylamide). Shifts in FTIR absorption wavelengths revealed the nature of the polymer clay interaction at the chemical group level and X-ray diffraction and scattering techniques revealed when the polymer had penetrated the clay galleries. The homopolymer showed limited intercalation with the clay but the hydrophobically modified polymer increased platelet spacing and in some instances exfoliated the clay. Possible mechanisms that explain this result have been examined. |
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Adsorption of Macromolecules at Liquid-Solid Interfaces
Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry |