Vapor-liquid equilibria for solutions of dendritic polymers

Abstract

Vapor-liquid equilibrium data were obtained for dendritic polymer solutions using a classic isothermal gravimetric-sorption method; the amount of solvent absorbed by the dendrimer was measured at increasing solvent activity. The polymers were polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers of generations 1, 2, and 4 and benzyl ether dendrimers with different end groups (aromatic rings, dodecyl chains, methyl ester groups, perfluoroalkyl chains) of generations 2 to 6, and two series of benzyl ether linear polymers that are analogues of the dendrimers. Solvents were acetone, acetonitrile, chloroform, cyclohexane, methanol, n-pentane, n-propylamine, tetrahydrofuran, and toluene. The temperature range was 35 to 89 °C. The amount of solvent absorbed by the dendrimers depends, sometimes strongly, on the kind of dendrimer end groups. The relation between solvent absorption and dendrimer generation number, or molecular weight, depends on the solvent-dendrimer system and on temperature. Solvent absorption in linear polymers is below that for corresponding dendrimers, all or in part owing to crystallinity in the linear polymers.