Interaction of water in polymers: Poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl acetate)

We studied the interaction of water in poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) of various vinyl acetate compositions and poly(vinyl acetate), on the basis of the infrared spectrum of the water dissolved therein. The spectrum shows a very sharp and distinct band at about 3690 cm−1 (named as A), and less-sharp two bands around 3640 (B) and 3550 cm−1 (C), the A band being outstanding especially at a low vinyl acetate composition. As the vinyl acetate composition increases, the A band decreases in intensity relative to the C band, whereas the B band increases contrarily. Analysis of the spectral change has elucidated that one-bonded water (of which one OH is hydrogen-bonded to the CO of an ester group and the other OH is free) and two-bonded water (each OH of which is hydrogen-bonded to one CO) coexist in the copolymer and that two-bonded water increases in relative population with increasing vinyl acetate composition. Dissolved water is entirely two-bonded in poly(vinyl acetate), in which CO groups are densely distributed in the matrix. We proved that dissolved water in polymers is hydrogen-bonded through one or two OH groups to the possessed functional groups but does not cluster. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 777–785, 2005

[1]  H. Murase,et al.  Infrared spectroscopic study of the interactions of nylon-6 with water , 2003 .

[2]  T. Matsuda,et al.  Basic Interactions of Water with Organic Compounds , 2003 .

[3]  C. Deng,et al.  Vibrational spectroscopic studies of the dynamics and perturbation of water in polymeric films , 2002 .

[4]  K. Oguro,et al.  Water in perfluorinated sulfonic acid nafion membranes , 2002 .

[5]  Stéphane Marais,et al.  Permeation of water through polar and nonpolar polymers and copolymers: Determination of the concentration‐dependent diffusion coefficient , 2000 .

[6]  N. Everall,et al.  FTIR−ATR Studies of the Structure and Dynamics of Water Molecules in Polymeric Matrixes. A Comparison of PET and PVC , 1998 .

[7]  H. Kusanagi.  Infrared Spectra of Water Isotopes(H2O, HDO, and D2O Molecules) in Hydrophobic Poly(vinylidene fluoride) , 1997 .

[8]  D. R. Paul,et al.  Water sorption and transport in a series of polysulfones , 1996 .

[9]  D. Rueda,et al.  Water sorption/desorption kinetics in poly(ethylene naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) , 1995 .

[10]  M. D. Pinho,et al.  An ATR-FTIR study of water in cellulose acetate membranes prepared by phase inversion , 1995 .

[11]  D. Rueda,et al.  Physical aging in poly(ethylene naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate) in relation to sorbed water, enthalpic relaxation, and mechanical properties , 1995 .

[12]  S. Church,et al.  Interaction of water and hydrated crystallization in water-plasticized polyacrylonitrile films , 1994 .

[13]  D. T. Turner,et al.  Water sorption of poly(methyl methacrylate): 2. Effects of crosslinks , 1987 .

[14]  K. Ohta,et al.  Lower limit of the thickness of the measurable surface layer by Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectrometry , 1985 .

[15]  K. Ohta,et al.  Experimental Proof of the Relation between Thickness of the Probed Surface Layer and Absorbance in FT-IR/ATR Spectroscopy , 1985 .

[16]  B. Zimm,et al.  Sorption of Vapors by High Polymers , 1956 .

[17]  L. Pauling.  The Adsorption of Water by Proteins , 1945 .

[18]  H. Kusanagi.  Calculation of Normal Vibration of the Water Molecule Sorbed into Hydrophobic Polymers. , 1996 .

[19]  Y. Maréchal.  Configurations adopted by H2O molecules: results from IR spectroscopy , 1996 .

[20]  J. Yarwood,et al.  ATR-FTIR spectroscopic studies of the structure and permeability of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) membranes. Part 1.—Interfacial water–polymer interactions , 1996 .

[21]  H. Kusanagi,et al.  Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Calculations of Model Compound Systems for the Water Molecule Sorbed into Polymers. , 1996 .

[22]  H. Kusanagi,et al.  Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopic studies of water molecules sorbed in solid polymers , 1994 .

[23]  R. D. Hoffman,et al.  Interactions of water with unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester and acrylic resins , 1992 .

[24]  R. Kusy,et al.  Comparison of water sorption by methacrylate and dimethacrylate monomers and their corresponding polymers , 1991 .

[25]  J. A. Barrie,et al.  Diffusion and association of water in some polyalkylmethacrylates. Part 2.—Transient state diffusion , 1971 .

[26]  J. A. Barrie,et al.  The diffusion and clustering of water vapour in polymers , 1963 .

[27]  Malcolm Dole,et al.  Water Sorption by Synthetic High Polymers , 1950 .