Effect of the Formation of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic–Hydrophilic Associates on the Behavior of Copolymers of N-Vinylpyrrolidone with Methyl Acrylate in Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

It has been shown that there exist conditions under which thermosensitive copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone with methyl acrylate form hydrophobic–hydrophilic associations, which are unstable dynamic meshes, the bonds in which are continuously broken and created again, and the nature of the formation of such meshes depends significantly on the proportion of the hydrophobic component in the copolymer. It is shown that the interaction of the above copolymers with polyacrylic acid results in the formation of not only classical interpolymer complexes, but also hydrophilic interpolymer associates, which also represent unstable networks existing in a dynamic mode. In such meshes, the molecules of the above copolymers serve as a kind of cross-agent connecting the polyacid molecules. There are also conditions under which such meshes acquire a complex structure, since unstable bonds between macromolecular tangles of both the same and different types take part in their formation. It is shown that the transition from the formation of interpolymer complexes to the formation of hydrophilic interpolymer associates can occur, among other things, due to changes in the acidity or concentration of low-molecular salt in solution.