Reversible flocculation of silica across the phase boundary of poly(vinyl caprolactam) in aqueous solution.
The colloid stability of silica dispersions in water in the presence of poly(vinyl caprolactam) (PVCAP) has been studied below and above the lower consolute temperature (LCT) of its solutions. The dispersion sediments slowly without PVCAP in the temperature range studied (26-40 degrees C) or with PVCAP below the LCT ( approximately 30 degrees C). In contrast, with PVCAP above the LCT, rapid flocculation occurs at acid pH, with re-dispersal on cooling. Reversible flocculation is also obtained above the LCT by cycling the pH from alkaline to acid and back. The flocculation observed above the LCT may also be regarded as heterocoagulation between the silica particles and the aggregates of the polymer.
Qiu
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Langmuir Center for Colloids and Interfaces, Columbia University, New York 10027, USA.
Pethica
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Somasundaran
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