Anomalous rheological behavior of poly(1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) and CuCl₂ in solution and their interactions in solid composites

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND: The aggregation structure of polymers in solution is an important aspect of their behavior. The interactions between metal ions and water‐soluble polymers have a significant influence on the conformation behavior of biological macromolecules, and on the ionic selectivity of cells, etc. RESULTS: The rheological behavior of poly(1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) (PVP) and CuCl 2 dispersed in N , N ‐dimethylformamide was investigated using rheological techniques. Concentrated solutions containing CuCl 2 exhibited a rheological behavior different from those containing other metal chlorides (LiCl, CaCl 2 and CoCl 2 ). This indicated that the variation in the aggregation state of the PVP chains with concentration of CuCl 2 was different from those of PVP solutions containing Li + , Ca 2+ or Co 2+ ions. CONCLUSION: The interactions between PVP and CuCl 2 inhibit the crystallization of CuCl 2 and induce the formation of microphase separation in the system. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry