Dilute solution behaviour of sodium polyacrylate chains in aqueous NaCl solutions

A New Concept for Interpretation of the Viscoelastic Behavior of Aqueous Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Systems

Viscoelastic behaviors of aqueous systems of commercially available sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) samples with the degrees of substitution (DS) of approximately 0.68 and 1.3, and the weight-average molar masses (Mw) higher than 200 kg mol-1 dissolved in pure water and aqueous sodium chloride solutions were investigated over a wide concentration (c) range of NaCMC samples. The dependencies of the specific viscosity (ηsp), the average relaxation time (τw), and the reciprocal of the steady-state compliance (Je-1) on c were discussed. The relationships ηsp ∝ c3, τw ∝ c2, and Je-1 ∝ c, characteristic of the rod particle suspensions, were clearly observed in a range lower than the c where the critical gel behavior was observed. Thus, a new concept based on the rheology of rod particle suspensions was employed to interpret the viscoelastic behaviors obtained in the c range. In this context, NaCMC polymer molecules are assumed to behave as extended rod particles with length (L) and diameter (d), including effective electrostatic repulsive distances, due to the dissociation of Na+ in aqueous systems. Thus, the number density of polymer molecules is given to be ν = c/Mw, and viscoelastic parameters such as ηsp, τw, and Je-1 are calculated using the theoretical model for rod particle suspensions proposed by Doi and Edwards. This concept reasonably described not only the viscoelastic data obtained in this study but also those from other groups using NaCMC samples with different DS and Mw values.

Dilute polyelectrolyte solutions: recent progress and open questions

Polyelectrolytes are a class of polymers possessing ionic groups on their repeating units. Since counterions can dissociate from the polymer backbone, polyelectrolyte chains are strongly influenced by electrostatic interactions. As a result, the physical properties of polyelectrolyte solutions are significantly different from those of electrically neutral polymers. The aim of this article is to highlight key results and some outstanding questions in the polyelectrolyte research from recent literature. We focus on the influence of electrostatics on conformational and hydrodynamic properties of polyelectrolyte chains. A compilation of experimental results from the literature reveals significant disparities with theoretical predictions. We also discuss a new class of polyelectrolytes called poly(ionic liquid)s that exhibit unique physical properties in comparison to ordinary polyelectrolytes. We conclude this review by listing some key research challenges in order to fully understand the conformation and dynamics of polyelectrolytes in solutions.

Rheological scaling of ionic-liquid-based polyelectrolytes in ionic liquid solutions: the effect of the ion diameter of ionic liquids

We investigate the effect of the ion diameter a of ionic liquids (ILs) on the shear viscosity of polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) in IL solutions. When both the PIL and IL contain large PFSI anions (a ≈ 0.57 nm), the specific viscosity η_sp first decreases with increasing IL concentration c_IL in the low c_IL regime, reaches a minimum and then increases with increasing c_IL in the high c_IL regime. By comparing the measured η_sp with the modified charge screening model proposed in our previous study [Matsumoto et al., Macromolecules, 2021, 54, 5648-5661], we attribute the observed non-monotonic trend of η_sp against c_IL to the charge underscreening phenomenon, i.e., an increase of the screening length at high c_IL leads to the upturn of η_sp. On the other hand, when the PIL and IL contain small BF₄ anions (a ≈ 0.34 nm), the η_sp decreases asymptotically with increasing c_IL, because the charge on the PIL chain is likely screened fully in the entire c_IL regime. Our results demonstrate that the ion diameter of ILs plays an important role in governing the charge screening mechanism of PILs in IL solutions, and thus influencing the viscoelastic properties of PIL solutions.

High-Speed Blow Spinning of Neat Graphene Fibrous Materials

Achieving high spinning speed is critical to the production efficiency and viable application of fiber species. Graphene fiber (GF) has recently emerged as a carbonaceous fiber with excellent functionality. However, the extremely low wet spinning speed of GF has limited its applications. We realized high-speed blow spinning of neat GF and fabric by modulating the rheological properties of the graphene oxide (GO) dispersion. We achieved a speed of 556 m min^-1, 2 orders of magnitude faster than that for wet spinning. We chose ultrahigh molecular weight polymers as transient additives to circumvent the intrinsic barrier effect of GO and achieve high spinning dope stretchability at low polymer percentages-down to 25 wt %. Minimizing the polymer additive content ensures the high electrical/thermal conductivity of the blow-spun fiber and fabric. This work provides insight into the unique flow properties of 2D sheets and will promote the efficient production of graphene-based fibrous materials.

Weak polyelectrolyte brushes: re-entrant swelling and self-organization

We have studied the combined influence of pH and ionic strength on the properties of brushes of a weak polyion, poly(acrylic acid), in conditions of grafting density close to the mushroom-brush crossover. By combining atomic force microscopy AFM and quartz crystal microbalance, we show that at low ionic strengths the conformational change of grafted polyions is non-monotonic with increasing pH due to the counterintuitive variation of the ionization degree. Thus, reentrant swelling of the polymer chains is observed with increasing pH. This effect is more important at low polymer grafting densities, when it is accompanied by in-plane heterogeneous distribution at intermediate pH values. In addition, we observed self-assembly on the polymer brush (formation of holes and islands) at pH values below pKa, due to the short-range attractive interaction between uncharged grafted chains. The sensitivity of the ionization of grafted chains to the physicochemical environment was also studied by measuring the interaction force between a silica tip and polymer brushes by atomic force microscopy. The dependence of the ionization of polyions on the presence of the tip points toward important charge regulation effects, in particular at pH values corresponding to partial ionization of the polyion.

Controlling Self-Assembly with Light and Temperature

Complexes between the anionic polyelectrolyte sodium polyacrylate (PA) and an oppositely charged divalent azobenzene dye are prepared in aqueous solution. Depending on the ratio between dye and polyelectrolyte stable aggregates with a well-defined spherical shape are observed. Upon exposure of these complexes to UV light, the trans → cis transition of the azobenzene is excited resulting in a better solubility of the dye and a dissolution of the complexes. The PA chains reassemble into well-defined aggregates when the dye is allowed to relax back into the trans isomer. Varying the temperature during this reformation step has a direct influence on the final size of the aggregates rendering temperature in an efficient way to easily change the size of the self-assemblies. Application of time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to study the structure formation reveals that the cis → trans isomerization is the rate-limiting step followed by a nucleation and growth process.

Liquid-liquid phase separation in dilute solutions of poly(styrene sulfonate) with multivalent cations: Phase diagrams, chain morphology, and impact of temperature

The dilute solution behavior of sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) is studied in the presence of trivalent Al³⁺ and bivalent Ba²⁺ cations at various levels of excess NaCl. The study evaluates the phase behavior and the morphology of the polyelectrolyte chains with increasing extent of decoration with the Al³⁺ and Ba²⁺ cations and analyses the effect of temperature on these decorated chains. The phase behavior is presented in the form of the cation concentration versus the respective poly(styrene sulfonate) concentration, recorded at the onset of precipitation. Whereas poly(styrene sulfonate) with Al³⁺ exhibits a linear phase boundary, denoted as the "threshold line," which increases with increasing poly(styrene sulfonate) concentration, Ba²⁺ cations show a threshold line which is independent of the poly(styrene sulfonate) concentration. An additional re-entrant phase, at considerably higher cation content than those of the threshold lines, is observed with Al³⁺ cations but not with Ba²⁺ cations. The threshold line and the re-entrant phase boundary form parts of the liquid-liquid phase boundary observed at the limit of low polymer concentration. The dimensions of the polyelectrolyte chains shrink considerably while approaching the respective threshold lines on increase of the Al³⁺ and Ba²⁺ cation content. However, subtle differences occur between the morphological transformation induced by Al³⁺ and Ba²⁺. Most strikingly, coils decorated with Al³⁺ respond very differently to temperature variations than coils decorated with Ba²⁺ do. As the temperature increases, the poly(styrene sulfonate) chains decrease their size in the presence of Al³⁺ cations but increase in size in the presence of Ba²⁺ cations.

Universal aqueous synthesis of ultra-small polymer-templated nanoparticles: synthesis optimization methodology for counterion-collapsed poly(acrylic acid)

A long polyelectrolyte chain collapses into a nano-sized particle upon the addition of counterions under appropriate solution conditions. This phenomenon forms the basis for a simple universal method for aqueous synthesis of ultra-small (<10 nm) metal, metal oxide, and other types of nanoparticles in the following manner: the counterion-collapsed polyelectrolyte chains are made stable by crosslinking, effectively trapping the counterions, which are subsequently chemically modified, to form metal nanoparticles via reduction or metal oxides nanoparticles via oxidation, within the collapsed polymer nanoparticle. This highly versatile platform methodology can be applied to almost any polyelectrolyte–counterion pair, making possible the rapid development of syntheses of different nanoparticles within the same chemical environment. Using poly(acrylic acid) as a model system, a methodology for the optimization of conditions for the polyelectrolyte collapse by various mono- and multi-valent metal cations is developed. The optimal counterion concentration did not correlate with ionic strength and metal ion valency and was highly variable from system to system. By monitoring the polyelectrolyte conformation using viscosity and turbidity measurements, the appropriate metal ion concentration for each nanoparticle system was determined.

Electrowetting of Weak Polyelectrolyte-Coated Surfaces

Polymer coatings are commonly used to modify interfacial properties like wettability, lubrication, or biocompatibility. These properties are determined by the conformation of polymer molecules at the interface. Polyelectrolytes are convenient elementary bricks to build smart materials, given that polyion chain conformation is very sensitive to different environmental variables. Here we discuss the effect of an applied electric field on the properties of surfaces coated with poly(acrylic acid) brushes. By combining atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, and contact angle experiments, we show that it is possible to precisely tune polyion chain conformation, surface adhesion, and surface wettability using very low applied voltages if the polymer grafting density and environmental conditions (pH and ionic strength) are properly formulated. Our results indicate that the effective ionization degree of the grafted weak polyacid can be finely controlled with the externally applied field, with important consequences for the macroscopic surface properties.

Effect of salt valency and concentration on structure and thermodynamic behavior of anionic polyelectrolyte Na+-polyethacrylate aqueous solution

The intermolecular structure and solvation enthalpy of anionic polyelectrolyte atactic Na⁺-polyethacrylate (PEA) in aqueous solution, as a function of added salt concentration C _s (dilute to concentrated) and valency (NaCl versus CaCl₂), were investigated via molecular dynamics simulations with explicit-ion-solvent and atomistic polymer description. An increase in C _s leads to a decrease in α, which stabilizes to a constant value beyond critical C _s. A significant reduction in R _g in the presence of CaCl₂ salt was observed, due to ion bridging of PEA by Ca²⁺ ions, in agreement with results available in literature on other similar polycarboxylates. An increase in salt valency reduces the value of critical C _s for the onset of stabilization of the overall size and shape of the polymer chain. The critical C _s ratio for the divalent to monovalent salt case is in excellent agreement with results of Langevin dynamics studies on model systems available in the literature. PEA-water H-bond half-life increases with C _s for CaCl₂, but no appreciable effect is seen for NaCl. The hydration of PEA becomes stronger in the presence of divalent salt. The strength of H-bond interaction energy is greater for cations as compared to anions of the salt. The salt cation effect in displacing water molecules from the vicinity of PEA, with increase in C _s, is greater for NaCl solution. The decrease in water coordination to PEA carboxylate groups, due to increased C _s, is more pronounced in NaCl solution. The nature of the behavior of the solvation enthalpy of PEA and the type of intermolecular interactions contributing to it, is in agreement with experimental observations from the literature. The hydration enthalpy of PEA in divalent CaCl₂ aqueous salt solution is more exothermic compared to monovalent NaCl salt solution, in agreement with experimental data. The solvation of PEA is thermodynamically more favorable in the case of CaCl₂ solution. The exothermic solvation enthalpy, H-bond lifetime, number of H-bonds and H-bond interaction energy are greater in magnitude in CaCl₂ aqueous solution.

Effect of charge polydispersity and charge residence time on the dynamics of a micellar system

We use dynamic light scattering to investigate the effects of charge polydispersity and charge residence time on the dynamics of a micellar system. While in the corresponding uncharged system only one exponential relaxation is observed, two relaxation modes are seen when charging the micelles by adding charged co-surfactant molecules with a long residence time. We attribute the existence of these two relaxation modes to the combined effect of size polydispersity and charge polydispersity, i.e. frozen fluctuations of the number of charges per micelle. Further support to this scenario is provided by control experiments on a similar charged system, but where the charge residence time is short compared to the time scales probed by dynamic light scattering. Here, charge polydispersity is effectively suppressed due to the rapid exchange of charged molecules between micelles and only one single relaxation mode is seen, thereby demonstrating the key role of frozen charge fluctuations in the complex dynamics of our micellar system.

Microgel-like aggregates of isotactic and atactic poly(methacrylic acid) chains in aqueous alkali chloride solutions as evidenced by light scattering

A comparative light-scattering study of isotactic and atactic poly(methacrylic acid), iPMA and aPMA, respectively, in aqueous solutions with added alkali chlorides, XCl (X = Li, Na, Cs), at 25 °C and XCl concentration of 0.1 mol L(-1), demonstrates that both PMA isomers are strongly associated at low degrees of neutralization, αN (= 0 for aPMA and 0.25 for iPMA), in the presence of all XCls. The shape parameter ρ and the scattering functions suggest that aggregates have the characteristics of microgel particles, with a dense core surrounded by a less dense shell. The extent of aggregation depends on the stereoregular structure of the polymer and on the type of the added cation. Li(+) and Na(+) ions support aggregation better than Cs(+) ions. Besides, iPMA chains are more strongly aggregated than aPMA chains and form particles with a denser core. A model of the aggregation process is suggested for iPMA. At high αN, a slow diffusive process (so-called extraordinary or anomalous mode in diffusion of polyelectrolytes), arising from electrostatic interactions between charged chains, is observed for both PMAs. Results suggest that under the same experimental conditions iPMA is effectively more charged than aPMA. The role of ions in the slow-mode phenomenon is less pronounced than in aggregation.

Highly enhanced energy conversion from the streaming current by polymer addition

In this contribution, we present for the first time the experimental results of energy conversion from the streaming current when a polymer is added to the working solution. We added polyacrylic acid (PAA) in concentrations of 200 ppm to 4000 ppm to a KCl solution. By introducing PAA, the input power, which is the product of volumetric flow rate and the applied pressure, reduced rapidly as compared to the case of using only a normal viscous electrolyte KCl solution. The output power at the same time remained largely constant, whereby an increase of the streaming current and a decrease of the streaming potential simultaneously occurred. These combined factors led to the massive increase of the energy conversion efficiency. Particularly, the results showed that when PAA was in a 0.01 mM KCl solution, the energy conversion efficiency of the system was enhanced by a factor of 447 (±2%), as compared to the case of the solution containing only 0.01 mM KCl. An enhancement factor of 249 (±4%) was also observed when PAA was added to the higher ionic strength background solution, 1 mM KCl. This finding can have practical use in microchannel-array energy conversion systems. When, instead of the negatively charged PAA, a non-ionic polymer polyethylene oxide (PEO) was added to the solution, no efficiency increase was observed, probably due to polymer wall adsorption.

Impact of sodium polyacrylate on the amorphous calcium carbonate formation from supersaturated solution

A detailed in situ scattering study has been carried out on the formation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) particles modulated by the presence of small amounts of sodium polyacrylate chains. The work is aiming at an insight into the modulation of ACC formation by means of two polyacrylate samples differing in their molecular weight by a factor of 50. The ACC formation process was initiated by an in situ generation of CO(3)(2-) ions via hydrolysis of 10 mM dimethylcarbonate in the presence of 10 mM CaCl(2). Analysis of the formation process by means of time-resolved small-angle X-ray and light scattering in the absence of any additives provided evidence for a monomer addition mechanism for the growth of ACC particles. ACC formation under these conditions sets in after a lag-period of some 350 s. In the presence of sodium polyacrylate chains, calcium polyacrylate aggregates are formed during the lag-period, succeeded by a modulated ACC growth in a second step. The presence of anionic polyacrylate chains changed the shape of the growing particles toward loose and less homogeneous entities. In the case of low amounts (1.5-7.5 mg/L) of the long chain additive with 97 kDa, the size of the aggregates is comparable to the size of the successively formed hybrid particles. No variation of the lag-period has been observed in this case. Use of the short chain additive with 2 kDa enabled increase of the additive concentration up to 100 mg/L and resulted in a significant increase of the lag-period. This fact, together with the finding that the resulting hybrid particles remained stable in the latter case, identified short chain sodium polyacrylates as more efficient modulators than long chain polyacrylates.

Self-localization of polyacrylic acid molecules on polar ZnO(0001)-Zn surfaces

The adsorption of single polyacrylic acid (PAAc) molecules was investigated on stepped hydroxide-stabilized polar ZnO(0001)-Zn surfaces using atomic force microscope (AFM) topography and force distance spectroscopy. Stepped surfaces of ZnO(0001)-Zn were prepared by a wet chemical etching procedure and PAAc molecules were adsorbed from aqueous NaClO(4) solutions. AFM single molecule topography studies could be utilized to show that polyacrylic acid molecules specifically adsorb on the non-polar (10-10) step edge faces at low ionic strengths. The radius of gyration of the dissolved PAAc in aqueous solution was measured by means of static light scattering experiments yielding a radius of gyration of R(g)=136 nm at pH 7.4 in 50 mM NaClO(4)/NaOH solution, which is in good agreement with the size of the adsorbed PAAc molecules as measured using AFM. The obtained results could be rationalized in terms of binding-site configurations at step edges and the effect of the chemical environment on both local electric double layer charge and molecular conformation of the PAAc molecules. The point of zero charge of the ZnO(10-10) surface was measured with chemical force microscopy to be pH(PZC)=10.2 ± 0.2. The specific adsorption of polyacrylic acid at non-polar ZnO step-edges can be explained by coordinative bonds formed between the carboxylic acid group and the Zn-surface atoms. On the hydroxide stabilized polar surface only weak hydrogen bonds can be formed in addition to van-der-Waals forces. Thus a "diffusion and trapping" mechanism keeps the adsorbed PAAc molecules mobile on the ZnO(0001)-Zn surface terraces due to small interaction forces until they are trapped at the (10-10) step faces by stronger coordinative bonds from the carboxylic groups to zinc atoms located in the first atomic layer of the crystal structure.

Poly(vinyl phosphonic acid): Hydrodynamic Properties and SEC-Calibration in Aqueous Solution

Poly(vinyl phosphonic acid) (PVPA) as obtained by free radical polymerization of aqueous vinyl phosphonic acid was studied by light scattering (SLS, DLS) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) in dilute aqueous solutions containing sufficient salt in order to screen long range electrostatic interactions. Samples of 37<$\overline M _{\rm w}$< 110 × 10(3) were studied. The polymers showed positive A(2) -values in aqueous NaH(2) PO(4) solution (0.04 M), and self-diffusion behavior and R(H) /R(G) -ratios indicative of the structure of random coiled chains. A comparison of the SEC-elugrams of the PVPA-samples with those of commercially available standards of poly(acrylic acid) sodium salt gave a fit to the same calibration curve described by log P(n(PVPA))  = -0.21ν(e)  + 7.0(+0.1) which correlates the number average degree of polymerization (P(n) ) with the elution volume ν(e) . This indicates that PVPA and PAA have the same hydrodynamic structure under given solution conditions.

Counterion adsorption on flexible polyelectrolytes: comparison of theories

Counterion adsorption on a flexible polyelectrolyte chain in a spherical cavity is considered by taking a "permuted" charge distribution on the chain so that the "adsorbed" counterions are allowed to move along the backbone. We compute the degree of ionization by using self-consistent field theory (SCFT) and compare with the previously developed variational theory. Analysis of various contributions to the free energy in both theories reveals that the equilibrium degree of ionization is attained mainly as an interplay of the adsorption energy of counterions on the backbone, the translational entropy of the small ions, and their correlated density fluctuations. Degree of ionization computed from SCFT is significantly lower than that from the variational formalism. The difference is entirely due to the density fluctuations of the small ions in the system, which are accounted for in the variational procedure. When these fluctuations are deliberately suppressed in the truncated variational procedure, there emerges a remarkable quantitative agreement in the various contributing factors to the equilibrium degree of ionization, in spite of the fundamental differences in the approximations and computational procedures used in these two schemes. Furthermore, it is found that the total free energies from the truncated variational procedure and the SCFT are in quantitative agreement at low monomer densities and differ from each other at higher monomer densities. The disagreement at higher monomer densities is due to the inability of the variational calculation to accurately compute the solvent entropy at higher concentrations. A comparison of electrostatic energies (which are relatively small) reveals that the Debye-Hückel estimate used in the variational theory is an overestimation of electrostatic energy as compared to the Poisson-Boltzmann estimate. Nevertheless, since the significant effects from density fluctuations of small ions are not captured by the SCFT, and due to the close agreement between SCFT and the other contributing factors in the more transparent variational procedure, the latter is a better computational tool for obtaining the degree of ionization.