Understanding the role of polymers in drying processes
Colloidal dispersions in polymer solution are important material systems in coating and printing applications.
Understanding the role of polymers in drying process is important to obtain the desired performance of the solid film.
Adsorbed PVA reduces size of aggregates
In a study, Korean researchers investigated the role of polymers in stress development during drying of aqueous silica and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) suspensions, and the microstructure of solid film. Adsorbed polymers were found to affect the spatial organisation of silica particles, which reduces the size of aggregates and the increase in stress development. The effect of adsorbed polymers on the stress development was hindered as the amount of non-adsorbed polymer increased. The role of adsorbed and non-adsorbed PVA in stress development was found to be generalised to yield a single master curve independent of polymer concentration.
The study is published in: Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 88, November 2015, Pages 304-309.
