Rheological properties of silica dispersions stabilized by stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate)

The adsorption of stereoregular polymers and its effect on the conformation and dynamics of the polymer at interfaces are only poorly understood. H-1 NMR has revealed a lowering of the peaks assigned to isotactic sequences whatever the PMMA tacticity, which provides evidence of stereospecific adsorption of the isotactic segments on silica. Entropic factors are therefore assumed to control the configuration of the adsorbed layer. Tacticity-dependent rheological behavior is revealed by dynamic investigations carried out on silica dispersions. The driving forces likely to induce the stereoselective adsorption and tacticity-dependent rheology of suspensions are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.