On the effects of water solvency towards non-ionic polymers

In this paper, the rheological properties and phase behaviour of aqueous poly(ethylene oxide), poly(acrylamide) and poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions are reported as a function of the temperature, the pressure and as a consequence of the addition of the electrolytes. The experimental results illustrate that the rheological properties of the solutions of these three polymer solutions vary differently with the change of these variables because the solubility of the polymers in the solutions is altered in different ways. The phase behaviours of the polymer solutions, as determined by viscometry, confirm the different changes of the solubility induced by the above variables. The experimental results are interpreted mainly based upon speculations on the nature and strength of the interactions between the polymer chains and between the polymer chains and water molecules via hydrogen bonding.