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Polymer Sciences | ISSN: 2471-9935
October 02-03, 2017 Chicago, USA
3
rd
International Conference on
Polymer Science and Engineering
Co (non) solvency or the puzzle of polymer properties in mixed good or poor solvents
Kurt Kremer
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany
T
he relation between atomistic structure, architecture, molecular weight and material properties is of basic concern of modern
soft matter science. Here computer simulations on different levels of resolution play an increasingly important role. To progress
further adaptive schemes are being developed, which allow for a free exchange of particles (atoms, molecules) between the different
levels of resolution and thus pave the way to open systems simulations. Typical examples where such approaches are helpful are
studies of stimuli responsive polymers, also called smart polymers. Here especially the so called co-solvency and co-non-solvency
are puzzling examples of unusual polymer solvation behavior i.e. that of polymers in mixed solvents. Particularly PNIPAM in water
alcohol mixtures reveals an interesting coil-globule-coil transition. This conformational transition cannot be explained within the
classical Flory-Huggins picture, which is the standard mean field theory for polymer solutions and mixtures. The results point
towards a general design of 'smart stimuli responsive polymers' and will be explored in detail. In the opposite case of a polymer in two
poor solvents, e.g. PMMA in water and alcohol, a weak swelling is observed in mixed solvents. While appearing like just an inverse
phenomenon of co-non-solvency, it turns out that here a delicate balance of depletion effects can be identified as the origin of the
phenomenon.
kremer@mpip-mainz.mpg.dePolym Sci, 3:3
DOI: 10.4172/2471-9935-C1-003