Material homogeneity and structural dynamics in polymer-electrolyte composite microparticles

J. V. Ford, B. G. Sumpter, D. W. Noid, M. D. Barnes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

We describe optical diffraction, or 2D angle-resolved light scattering, measurements for probing structure and morphological dynamics of isolated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microparticles doped with NaCl or CaCl2. Of specific interest was the effect of dopant salt concentration and polymer host molecular weight on composite microparticle homogeneity (phase- separation behavior) and evaporation dynamics determined from changes in both microparticle size and refractive index with time. In general the drying rate was higher for microparticles doped with CaCl2, and only in the case of CaCl2 doped microparticles was PEG molecular weight found to effect the drying rate. Furthermore, CaCl2 doped microparticles had a higher concentration threshold with regard to homogeneity when compared with NaCl doped microparticles. The results are discussed in terms of the known structures for monovalent electrolytes doped into PEG thin films and polymer- like oligomers in the gas phase, and on possible modifications of these structures due to differences in the intermolecular interactions of the two cationic species with the residual solvent and the polymer matrix. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8075-8082
Number of pages8
JournalPolymer
Volume41
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2000

Funding

This research was sponsored by Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Divisions of Chemical and Material Sciences, US Department of Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-96OR22464 with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation. J.V.F. acknowledges support from the ORNL Postdoctoral Research Associates Program administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Keywords

  • Poly(ethylene glycol)
  • Polymer composite
  • Polymer electrolyte

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