Water Absorption of Polymer Solutions

1. Water Absorption of Polymer Solutions Aluxus Brown, Yael Fisher, Meshaylah Blue, Courtney Boone Does molecular weight affect the amount of water being absorbed? Hypothesis: If the molecular weight increases, then water absorption will also increase. Conclusion: The polymer, poly (vinyl) acetate with the molecular weight of 100,000 had the highest amount of water absorption in comparison to either of the other two (with the molecular weights of 170,000 and 260,000 as shown in Figure 1). The polymer with the highest concentration(10g/40mL) did not absorb as much water as the polymers with the concentration of 1g/40mL and 5g/ 40mL as illustrated by Figure 2. Lastly, expressed in Figure 3 the polymer that was very polar[Poly(vinyl alcohol)] absorbed the most water, which then led the polymer to dissolve in the water. As for the poly (vinyl acetate), which was moderately polar, it absorbed the second most amount of water and the polystyrene which is nonpolar absorbed nothing. Does the concentration affect the amount of water being absorbed? Water Absorption by Molecular Weight, Polymer Type and Concentration Hypothesis: If the concentration of the polymer increases, then the water absorption will decrease. Does the type of polymer affect the amount of water being absorbed? Hypothesis: If the polymer is moderately polar then it would absorb a higher amount of water than a polymer that is nonpolar or highly polar. Mass of Water Absorbed in Grams Related to Form Polymer (g/mL) Poly(vinyl alcohol) Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3