Development of Steric Stabilizers for Paper Coatings: Solution Properties and Adsorption of Poly(2-Ethyl-2-Oxazoline) on Silica, 1995 Coating Fundamentals Symposium Proceedings

Virginia Tech

Allied Industrial Corp., Ltd.

University of Bristol

Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazolines) were studied as part of a program to develop a new class of water-soluble colloid dispersants for paper coatings. Solutions of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), peox, and poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) pmox, in water and peox solutions in several alcohols were characterized by light scattering. The values of the excess enthalpy delta h e and entropy of dilution delta s e for peox and pmox in water were negative, reflecting specific association of water with the polymer chains due to hydrogen bonding. The segmental adsorption free energy, xs po kt, was measured for poly(2- ethyl-2-oxazoline), peox adsorbing onto silica from two solvents - water and ethanol. The values of xs po kt were 5.1 Kt and 3.2 Kt in water and ethanol, respectively. These values are consistent with peox adsorbing principally by hydrogen bonding between the carbonyl groups on the polymer and surface silanol groups. These relatively high values of xs po suggest that peox may serve as an effective anchor block in block copolymer dispersants.