Premium
Fluorescence studies of polymer blends: Anchoring stabilizer chain in non‐aqueous dispersions
Author(s) -
Egan Luke S.,
Winnik Mitchell A.,
Croucher Melvin D.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760260106
Subject(s) - pyrene , materials science , stabilizer (aeronautics) , copolymer , polymer , polymer chemistry , fluorescence , aqueous solution , particle (ecology) , quenching (fluorescence) , vinyl acetate , chemical engineering , methacrylate , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , mechanical engineering , physics , oceanography , quantum mechanics , engineering , geology
Non‐aqueous dispersions of poly(vinyl acetate) stabilized by a surface layer of poly(2‐ethylhexyl methacrylate) (PEHMA) were prepared. We modified the recipe for particle synthesis, using as a stabilizer a copolymer of EHMA containing a small amount of either phenanthrene (Phe) or pyrene (Py) groups. These fluorescent labels permit us to assess different aspects of stabilizer chain morphology and dynamics. In the particles labeled with Phe groups, the ability of oxygen to quench Phe fluorescence is used as a monitor of O 2 sorption at the stabilizer‐particle interface. In these experiments, information about the location of the labels and the PEHMA polymer is obtained. In the particles labeled with Py, pyrene self‐quenching and excimer formation serves as a sensor of conformational and mobility changes in the PEHMA polymer upon anchoring in the particle.