Inorganic particles are used as filling materials in papermaking industry. To reduce its specific surface area, papermakers aggregate the particles by using flocculants such as polyacrylamide (PAM) or other polyelectrolytes. Filler particles are generally dispersed with the use of polyacrylic acid (PAA) as a dispersing agent. Therefore, to understand the adsorption behaviors of flocculants to dispersed inorganic filler particles, it is important to examine the interactions of these two polyelectrolytes. We investigated the adsorption of cationic polyacrylamide (C-PAM) to PAA at a pH ranges from 7 to 9. Characteristics of PAM and PAA are altered by pH of the dispersion. We used a particle charge detector (PCD) to measure the charge density of C-PAM. A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation was employed to evaluate the adsorption characteristics of polyelectrolytes. Results indicated that the charge density of C-PAM decreased at elevated pHs. It was also shown that C-PAM absorbed on PAA with a loose and bulky structure at a pH 7, while it adsorbed in compressed shape at higher pHs.<br/>(This work was supported by the Energy Efficiency & Resources of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) grant funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea.)

Effect of pH on the adsorption of cationic polyacrylamide to polyacrylic acid

249th National Meeting (2015)

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