Polymer-Bromine Interactions. I. Interactions with Polyacrylonitrile

Abstract

The present paper deals with the interactions of bromine with poly-acrylonitrile (PAN). Kinetics and equilibria of the sorption of Br₂ on PAN were studied at a concentration range of 0.01–0.1 mol/L and a temperature range of 25–40°C. Two kinds of sorption were found: a “reversible” sorption removable by water and an “irreversible” sorption removable by aqueous ammonia solutions. The irreversibly sorbed bromine is presumably linked by charge transfer to the nitrile groups of the PAN, as evidenced by UV spectra. The irreversible sorption follows the reversible sorption and is slower. Partition coefficients obtained from the linear Freundlich isotherms increased with temperature and, at 40°C, the values obtained were 97, 65, and 32 L/kg for the total, irreversible, and reversible sorptions, respectively. At 25°C the chemical potential, enthalpy, and change in entropy for the irreversible sorption were −2.0 kcal/mol, 9.4 kcal/mol, and 38 cal·mol⁻¹·K⁻¹. Effects of a 6-day Br₂ treatment and ammonia rinse were: decrease in dry T _g from 74.5 to 61°C and in water from 38 to 35°C; no significant decrease in M _W ; decrease in tensile strength measured after the bromine stage, and improvement after ammonia stage; increased swollen dimensions from 57% in water to 75%; and stabilization of swollen dimensions upon drying. The results support the existence of two phases in the less ordered regions of PAN.