SANS Study of PPPO in mixed solvents and impact on polymer nanoprecipitation
Author(s)
O'Connell, Roisin A
Sharratt, William N
Aelmans, Nico JJ
Higgins, Julia S
Cabral, Joao T
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We investigate the conformation of poly(2,6-diphenyl-p-phenylene oxide) (PPPO) in good and mixed solvents by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) across its ternary phase diagram. Dichloromethane was selected as a “good” solvent and heptane as a “poor” solvent whose addition eventually induces demixing and polymer precipitation. Below the overlap concentration c*, the polymer conformation is found to be well described by the polymer-excluded volume model and above by the Ornstein–Zernike expression with a correlation length ξ which depends on the concentration and solvent/nonsolvent ratio. We quantify the decrease in polymer radius of gyration Rg, increase in ξ, and effective χ parameter approaching the phase boundary. Upon flash nanoprecipitation, the characteristic particle radius (estimated by scanning electron microscopy, SEM) is found to scale with polymer concentration as well as with nonsolvent content. Significantly, the solution volume per precipitated particle remains nearly constant at all polymer concentrations. Overall, our findings correlate ternary solution structure with the fabrication of polymer nanoparticles by nonsolvent-induced phase separation and precipitation.
Date Issued
2022-01-18
Date Acceptance
2022-01-01
Citation
Macromolecules, 2022, 55 (3), pp.1050-1059
ISSN
0024-9297
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
1050
End Page
1059
Journal / Book Title
Macromolecules
Volume
55
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2022 American Chemical Society
License URL
Sponsor
Buchem BV
Royal Academy Of Engineering
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000745255800001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
Buchem BV PhD CDT
RCSRF1920/10/60
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Polymer Science
ANGLE NEUTRON-SCATTERING
SEMI-CONCENTRATED REGION
UNPERTURBED DIMENSIONS
NANOPARTICLE FORMATION
CALCULATED SOLUBILITY
CHAIN DIMENSIONS
MACROMOLECULES
CONFORMATION
MIXTURES
BEHAVIOR
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-01-18