Copolymer/water interfacial tensions of statistical copolymers of styrene/n-butyl acrylate were estimated by pendant drop tensiometry using an "inverse" configuration according to which a drop of water was formed in toluene/copolymer solutions. The study first involved the precise measurement of copolymer solutions density using pycnometry. Subsequently, interfacial tensions of copolymer solutions against water were plotted as a function of copolymer concentration in toluene. Several methods were explored to fit the experimental data and obtain estimates of copolymer/water interfacial tensions at 100% copolymer concentration in toluene by extrapolation. The Belton−Evans extrapolation resulted in the best fit with the experimental data. When plotted as a function of the styrene composition of the copolymer, the interfacial tensions estimates followed an additivity relationship. This enabled estimation of the copolymer/water interfacial tensions directly from their respective homopolymer/water interfacial tensions values. These results are particularly useful for the prediction of composite particle morphology involving copolymerization of multiple monomers.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	interfacial tension, pendant drop tensiometry, copolymers, surface free-energies, macromolecular systems, polymer, morphology, density, water, polyethylene, adsorption, particles, micelles
Research Division:	Chemical Sciences
Research Group:	Physical chemistry
Research Field:	Colloid and surface chemistry
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the chemical sciences
UTAS Author:	Thickett, SC (Associate Professor Stuart Thickett)
ID Code:	127410
Year Published:	2018
Funding Support:	Australian Research Council (LP140100119)
Web of Science® Times Cited:	3
Deposited By:	Chemistry
Deposited On:	2018-07-26
Last Modified:	2019-03-06
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