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Mechanical properties of poly(vinyl methyl ether) hydrogels below and above their volume phase transition

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Abstract

The mechanical properties of radiation cross-linked poly(vinyl methyl ether) hydrogels below and above the volume phase transition (VPT) under isobar conditions were studied. The viscoelastic properties as a function of radiation dose, radiation source and polymer concentration at the state of irradiation were examined. Increased radiation doses led to higher cross-linking densities and higher moduli. Hydrogels irradiated with γ-rays were much harder than those obtained with electron beam irradiation at the same radiation dose. It was found that the modulus strongly increased by up to 1 order of magnitude at a temperature of the VPT of about 37 °C. In the collapsed state at temperatures well above the VPT a frequency dependence of the E′(ω) moduli in the range 0.1–22 Hz was detected, indicating viscoelastic behavior. To study the influence of solvent quality on the modulus of the hydrogels, rheological measurements were performed in water, 2-propanol and cyclohexane. A scaling exponent for the modulus according to de Gennes (G′∝φ2.25) was not found. Possible reasons for deviations (G′∝φ3.54) on poly(vinyl methyl ether) hydrogels were discussed in the context of deviations from ideal networks.

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Acknowledgements

For the possibility to work in his group the author thanks H.H. Winter (Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA, USA). B.D. Chin and R. Horst (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) prepared the experiment in the linear rheometer and the ARES. T. Schmidt (TU Dresden) is acknowledged for helping with the preparation of the samples. The author thanks furthermore H. Dorschner (Institute of Polymer Research Dresden), for electron-beam irradiation and U. Gohs (Gamma-Service Radeberg), for γ-ray irradiation. Last but not least, the author especially expresses his gratitude to G. Heinrich (Institute of Polymer Research Dresden) for critical reading the manuscript and many fruitful discussions. This work was kindly supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, grant nos. RI 1079/1-1 and RI 1079/1-2 to S.R.

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  1. Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Dresden University of Technology, Mommsenstrasse 13, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Sven Richter

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Richter, S. Mechanical properties of poly(vinyl methyl ether) hydrogels below and above their volume phase transition. Colloid Polym Sci 282, 1213–1221 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-004-1178-0

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