Misplaced Pages

Polymer solutions are solutions containing dissolved polymers. These may be liquid solutions (e.g. in aqueous solution), or solid solutions (e.g. a substance which has been plasticized).

The introduction into the polymer of small amounts of a solvent (plasticizer) reduces the temperature of glass transition, the yield temperature, and the viscosity of a melt. An understanding of the thermodynamics of a polymer solution is critical to prediction of its behavior in manufacturing processes — for example, its shrinkage or expansion in injection molding processes, or whether pigments and solvents will mix evenly with a polymer in the manufacture of paints and coatings. A recent theory on the viscosity of polymer solutions gives a physical explanation for various well-known empirical relations and numerical values including the Huggins constant, but reveals also novel simple concentration and molar mass dependence.

Applications

Polymer solutions are used in producing fibers, films, glues, lacquers, paints, and other items made of polymer materials. Thin layers of polymer solution can be used to produce light-emitting devices. Guar polymer solution gels can be used in hydraulic fracturing ("fracking").

See also

• Flory–Huggins solution theory
• Colloid systems
• Gel
• Solution polymerization

References

1. Teraoka, Iwao (2002). Polymer solutions: an introduction to physical properties (PDF). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-38929-3.
2. Chemical Fabrics and Film Association (n.d.). "Plasticizer migration" (PDF). CFFA Performance Products Division. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
3. "Polymer solutions".
4. Danner, Ronald P.; High, Martin S. (1993). Handbook of polymer solution thermodynamics. New York: Design Institute for Physical Property Data (DIPPR), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). ISBN 0-8169-0579-7.
5. Schubert, Dirk W. (2020). "Novel Theoretical Self-Consistent Mean-Field Approach to Describe the Conductivity of Carbon Fiber-Filled Thermoplastics: Part III—Application of the Concept to Mechanical Properties of Composites and Polymer Solutions". Advanced Engineering Materials. 22 (9): 2000171. doi:10.1002/adem.202000171. ISSN 1438-1656.
6. Chang, Shun-Chi; Yang, Yang (1999). "Polymer solution light-emitting devices". Applied Physics Letters. 74 (2081): 2081–2083. Bibcode:1999ApPhL..74.2081C. doi:10.1063/1.123764.
7. US patent 5488083 A, Kinsey, III, E. Wayne; Sharif, Sharif & Harry, David N., "Method of gelling a guar or derivatized guar polymer solution utilized to perform a hydraulic fracturing operation", issued 1996-01-30, assigned to Benchmark Research and Technology, Inc. 

Further reading

• Teraoka, Iwao (2002). Polymer solutions: an introduction to physical properties (PDF). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-38929-3.

This article about polymer science is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Polymer chemistry
• Solutions
• Polymer stubs