Investigation of Intermolecular Association in Concentrated Solutions of Cellulose Acetate

摘要

The role of intermolecular association in concentrated solutions of cellulose triacetate (CTA) is investigated with respect to its importance in controlling the properties of CTA films formed from concentrated solutions for use, for example, as membranes in desalination by the reverse osmosis technique. The studies reveal the presence of extensive intermolecular association of CTA, even in very dilute solutions. The data also reveal that CTA has a larger unperturbed dimension than secondary cellulose diacetate. Rheological data obtained on some moderately concentrated solutions also exhibit the effects of interchain association. It appears that association leads to the formation of loci of imperfectly ordered domains that act as crosslinks, forming a type of randomly branched structure. This extent of this structure may control the properties of films formed from such solutions.