Industry/University Cooperative Project: Thermodynamic and Mechanical Properties of Gels and Microgels

该项目涉及凝胶技术的一些基本方面。对聚合物与溶剂的相互作用参数、交联度、在混合溶剂中的优先吸附以及必要时的离子电荷进行了表征研究，以基于经典的凝胶热力学方程进行定性预测。在宏观凝胶上获得的实验结果被用来确定表面力和颗粒大小对微凝胶溶胀行为的作用。采用反相乳液和悬浮聚合技术制备了粒径、交联密度和聚合过程中溶胀度可控的微凝胶。需要研究的微凝胶性能主要是它们的热力学溶胀特性以及它们的流变性和力学特性，这些特性支配着这些体系的许多实际和工业用途。

This project deals with some of the fundamental aspects of gel technology. Characterization studies to determine interaction parameters of polymers with solvents, degree of cross-linking, preferential adsorption in mixed solvents, and, when necessary, ionic charge, are carried out to make qualitative predictions based on classical thermodynamic equations for gels. The experimental results obtained on macroscopic gels are then used to determine the role played by surface forces and particle size on the swelling behavior of microgels. The reverse emulsion and suspension polymerization technique is used to prepare microgels with controlled properties of size, cross-linking density, and degree of swelling during polymerization. The microgel properties of primary importance to be investigated are their thermodynamic swelling properties and their rheological and mechanical properties which govern many of the practical and industrial usages of these systems.