Abstract
The calorimetric and infrared (IR) spectroscopy measurements of polyethylene oxide (PEO) are used to evaluate the deformation and relaxation that films experience during a temperature cycle (30°C–90°C–30°C). After melting, the intensity of some bands decreases by 10 to 70%. During the temperature cycle, the C–O band in the 1100 cm−1 region and the C–C–O deformation bands at 650 and 500 cm−1 show some new features. A network of cooperative oxygen-hydrogen interactions between the PEO chains form in films with special history, namely, in thermally treated films, in thin films prepared from gel forming solutions, and in thick films after aging. The interchain interaction network is suggested from the IR absorption bands in the 1200 and 900 cm−1 region and also from small bands at 1144 and 956 cm−1. The network seems absent or reduced in thin films. IR spectroscopy appears a sensitive technique to study chain conformations in PEO films and in other materials where order, disorder, and the formation of intermolecular interactions coexist.
Highlights
The physico-chemical properties of pure polyethylenoxide (PEO) such as crystallinity [1,2,3], thermal properties [2, 3], and morphology [4, 5] have been investigated
Nonequilibrium effects related to the polymer-solvent interactions have been studied [8]
FTIR spectroscopy is used to study the specific interactions between the PEO chains and small molecules [13]
Summary
The physico-chemical properties of pure polyethylenoxide (PEO) such as crystallinity [1,2,3], thermal properties [2, 3], and morphology [4, 5] have been investigated. FTIR spectroscopy is used to study the specific interactions between the PEO chains and small molecules [13]. A standard strategy to investigate the phase content in polymers is to observe the effect of sample history (deformation, solvent, or thermal treatment) on the vibrational spectra or on the calorimetric trace. A film prepared in standard conditions was submitted to a T-ramp covering a wide T interval and other films were obtained from entanglement-enriched solutions and analysed at RT as a function of aging time This controlled preparation and treatment and the knowledge of spontaneous growth of a physical network can be of help for investigating the effect of PEO processing and aging on its in-use properties such as resistance to wear, brittleness, and permeability
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