Effects of cyclodextrin polymer on the gelation of amphiphilic polymer in inclusion complex

Abstract

After an inclusion complex formed by cyclodextrin polymer and amphiphilic polymer, the effect of cyclodextrin polymer on the gelation of amphiphilic polymer in the presence of an organic chromium crosslinker is studied in this paper. The gelation time and the gelation strength were monitored by a Rheolaser micro-rheometer based on dynamic light scattering. The results show that the cyclodextrin polymer has a significant impact on the gelation performance of amphiphilic polymer gel. The gelation of the inclusion complex formed by the cyclodextrin polymer and the amphiphilic polymer is weak at low concentration of organic chromium crosslinker as the cyclodextrin polymer increases. This phenomenon is due to cyclodextrin polymers' stronger binding capacity with organic chromium crosslinker, compared with amphiphilic polymers. Meanwhile, the cyclodextrin polymer has a small molecular weight (short molecular chain), so that it cannot form a strong gel even after cross-linking. In this work, it's the first time studied on the gelation process of the inclusion complex, in the meantime, the mechanisms of cyclodextrin polymers and amphiphilic polymers with organic chromium crosslinker was revealed, which provides new insights into the effective adjustment of polymer gel properties.