Abstract
AbstractMiscible 80/20 and 90/10 by weight blends of poly (n‐vinyl pyrrolidone) [PNVP] and phenoxy polymer were swollen with 73–85% water to produce rubbery hydrogels with shear moduli as high as 103dyne/cm2. Small‐angle x‐ray scattering, rheological, and calorimetric measurements showed that the gel consisted of tie chains, most probably of PNVP embedded in glassy phenoxy particles with radius of gyration 50–200 Å. A ternary phase diagram was calculated assuming athermal mixing between PNVP–H2O and PNVP and the known endothermic interaction between H2O–phenoxy. Phase separation into a phenoxy phase containing minimal H2O and PNVP and a water‐swollen PNVP phase was predicted in accordance with experimental results. Phase separation was suspected as forming first an interconnected phenoxy phase which was later dispersed by swelling forces transmitted through PNVP tie chains. The presence of localized internal stress in the swollen network was thought to be responsible for the irreversible decrease in the shear moduli observed at shear strain above 10%.
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