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Polymer Crystallization on the Surface of Water or Aqueous Salt Solution
Author(s) -
Fuchs Christian,
Busse Karsten,
Flieger AnnKristin,
Kressler Jörg
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201600034
Subject(s) - crystallization , polymer , aqueous solution , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , materials science , water of crystallization , crystallinity , ethylene oxide , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , copolymer , engineering
The crystallization of two semicrystalline and water‐insoluble polymers with ester moieties, namely poly( ϵ ‐caprolactone) (PCL) and isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) ( i ‐PMMA), was studied on the water surface using Langmuir trough measurements and Brewster angle microscopy. Additionally, Langmuir‐Blodgett films were prepared and examined by atomic force microscopy. It was demonstrated that PCL forms distinct single crystals on the water surface with polymer chain orientation perpendicular to the water surface. i ‐PMMA behaved differently and crystallized upon compression on the water surface in a homogeneous layer with polymer chain orientation parallel to the water surface. In contrast, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is a water‐soluble polyether and its crystallization at the air/liquid interface could only be studied when the water subphase was replaced with aqueous salt solutions containing kosmotropic salts according to the Hofmeister series.