Solvent and Plasticizer Effects in Solid Polymers by NMR

• Lösungsmittel- und Weichmachereffekte in festen Polymeren untersucht mit NMR

Tankoua Kwamen, Darling Rance; Blümich, Bernhard (Thesis advisor); Liauw, Marcel (Thesis advisor)

Aachen : Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University (2015)
Dissertation / PhD Thesis

Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2014

Abstract

With the discovery of NMR in 1940 by F. Block and E. Purcell, disciplines such as chemistry, medicine, biology and material science gained a precious analytical tool. The aim of this work is to explore new applications of NMR methods for characterizing polymer material interaction with solvents and plasticizers. First, compact NMR is used for interaction studies of hydrocarbon solvents with solid polymers. By making use of stray-field NMR for non-destructive testing, semi-crystalline polymer samples interacting with isooctane, diesel and biodiesel are analyzed. Furthermore, self-diffusion of small penetrants in semicrystalline polymers and biological tissues is investigated with this technology. Moreover, plasticizer migration in PVC material is studied under different accelerated aging conditions. A microscopic screening of the plasticizer loss is monitored employing stray-field NMR depth profiles while structural changes occurring in the material are depicted via high-field NMR protocols.