VISCOMETRIC INVESTIGATIONS OF POLYVINYLPYRROLIDONE IN MIXED SOLVENTS AND WITH VARYING TEMPERATURE

The viscosity behavior of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) has been determined at 25℃ in mixed solvents comprising water/dimethylformamide (DMF) and water /methanol (MeOH). Analysis of the data has considered the PVP as being both host and guest polymer in solution. The intrinsic viscosity of PVP in DMF is higher than in water and in MeOH, but also increases in a mixed solvent with high water content because of the effect of polymer-solvent interactions. It was also found that the intrinsic viscosity of PVP at finite concentration, [ηpvp]c decreases with an increase in the concentration of PVP in solution. The viscosity behavior of PVP in a mixed solvent is affected by the concentration-dependent intermolecular excluded volume effect, which can be quantitatively expressed by the parameter, bY, which reflects the shrinkage of PVP chain coils, resulting in a decrease of [ηpvp]c. The effect of temperature on the viscosity behavior of PVP in MeOH shows that the interaction parameter increases up to a maximum value, and then decreases after a certain temperature.