0000000000140298

AUTHOR

J. S. Johnson

Modelling small angle neutron scattering data from polymers in supercritical fluids

In this paper we report a SANS investigation of micelle formation by fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon block copolymers in supercritical CO2(scCO2) at 313K. A sharp unimer-micelle transition is obtained due to the tuning of the solvating ability of scCO2 by profiling pressure. At high pressure the copolymer is in a monomeric state with a random coil structure. By lowering the pressure aggregates are formed with the hydrocarbon segments forming the core and the fluorocarbon segments forming the corona of spherical aggregates. This aggregate-unimer transition is driven by the gradual penetration of CO2 molecules toward the core of the aggregate and is critically related to the density of the solvent, …

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Small-Angle Neutron Scattering from Aqueous Solutions of C12E6 and C12E8: Critical Fluctuations and Micellar Growth

Static SANS measurements have been performed on 0.028 M C12E8 in D2O over the temperature range 20–74.2 °C. Little micellar growth is observed; increases in the scattered intensities in the low angle region are due to critical concentration fluctuations of correlation length g. We have also reexamined our SANS data for C12E6 in D2O, in light of other worker’s claims that a sphere-to-cylinder transition in micellar shape is occurring in these solutions. We discuss in detail the inferences about C12E6 micellar size drawn from the results of several different experimental techniques.

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