The role of polymers in dispersion stability and film formation of silica/PVA suspension

Researches on the drying of particle/polymer suspensions receive attentions in technical applications such as manufacturing display and batteries. In this study, the effect of polymers on drying behavior of silica/poly(vinyl alcohol) suspension was investigated in terms of suspension stability and stress development during drying. The effect of polymer adsorption was studied by changing pH. More strongly flocculated suspension with lower pH became more dispersed and close-packed film after drying. Evaluation of potential energy allows us to suggest that the adsorbed polymers which bridge the particles introduce steric repulsion and lead flocculated suspension to dispersed film. When the effect of adsorption kinetics was studied by changing the mixing time, the adsorption amount, characteristic stress and dried film density showed a similar behavior in the form of with a single characteristic time. It implies that the drying process can be determined by simple characteristic equation with a single time constant.