Ionic polymers based on quaternized polysulfones: hydrodynamic properties of polymer mixtures in solution

Abstract

Abstract Hydrodynamic properties developed in a series of mixtures, obtained from quaternized polysulfone and cellulose acetate phthalate or polyvinyl alcohol in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, were evaluated by viscometric investigations. Theoretical and experimental aspects concerning the viscometric data for binary polymer/solvent and ternary polymer/polymer/solvent mixtures have been discussed by the new Wolf model, as a function of the charge density of polyion, structural peculiarity of polymers, and polymer mixture composition. Intrinsic viscosity and also the hydrodynamic parameters obtained by the Wolf method offer new information on the competition between different types of interactions manifested in ternary polymer/polymer/solvent systems. The complex dependence of viscosity on polymer composition is influenced by conformational changes of constituent polymers from the mixture, as well as by cumulative effects of electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding or association phenomena. Additionally, the above-mentioned interactions indicate the compatibility of these polymers over a large composition domain. This study investigates the hydrodynamic functions from the perspective of some newly-issued theories and analyzes the choice of optimal polymer mixtures compositions for specific applications in biomedical domains.