Studies on Ultrasonic Degradation and Block Copolymerization of Hydroxyethylcellulose and Poly(ethylene Oxide)

Abstract

The ultrasonic degradation of hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) in aqueous solution, and the copolymerization of HEC with PEO were studied. The structure of the copolymer was identified by DTA, IR, MS, x-ray diffraction, and polarizing microscopy. The copolymer prepared is mainly block. The copolymer formed amounts to 55.07% by irradiating 0.5% HEC/PEO aqueous solution for a period of 10 min at 25°C and 18.2 kHz with 2.5 A input current on a reversed main circuit.