Adsorption behavior of poly(ethylene glycol) at the solid/liquid interface

Adsorption behavior of two grades of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was measured on silica and alumina in the presence of other organic and inorganic additives commonly used in ceramic processing, A fractional factorial designed experiment showed that the level of adsorption was significantly influenced by the powder or powder blend and the binder, but was not influenced significantly by small additions of auxiliary binder, surfactant, or the choice of deflocculant, Adsorption of PEG onto alumina was promoted by poly(acrylic acid) deflocculant due to formation of an association complex between the binder and adsorbed deflocculant molecules. A PEG compound containing an epoxide adsorbed at a higher level and the adsorption showed a larger pH dependence than did a lower molecular weight PEG homopolymer.