In situ investigation of aggregate sizes formed using thermo-responsive polymers: Effect of temperature and shear.

Temperature-responsive flocculants, such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), induce reversible particle aggregation upon heating above a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The aim of this work is to investigate the aggregation of ground iron ore using PNIPAM and conventional polyacrylamide (PAM) flocculants in a continuously-sheared suspension, through in situ chord length measurements using Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement techniques and real-time imaging of the particle aggregates. In the presence of uncharged PNIPAM, particle aggregation occurs only upon heating to the LCST, and the aggregates continue to grow with further heating. Subsequent cooling re-disperses the aggregates, and repeated heating causes reformation. Unlike uncharged PNIPAM, anionic PNIPAM produces aggregates at temperatures below the LCST due to the polymer chains binding to two different particles via attractive interactions between the acrylic acid groups and the hematite surfaces, and can be added at temperatures above the LCST due to the formation of charge-stabilised micelles. Under continuous shear, the flocculant most able to resist aggregate size reduction was anionic PAM, followed by PAM, anionic PNIPAM, PNIPAM (6MDa), and PNIPAM (122kDa). Reversible aggregate breakage was found with all samples, except with PNIPAM (6MDa) after being subjected to shear rates above 550s-1. Furthermore, heating of the PNIPAM-dosed suspensions at shear rates below 200s-1 produced larger and more breakage-resistant aggregates.

Xanthate-Functional Temperature-Responsive Polymers: Effect on Lower Critical Solution Temperature Behavior and Affinity toward Sulfide Surfaces.

Xanthate-functional polymers represent an exciting opportunity to provide temperature-responsive materials with the ability to selectively attach to specific metals, while also modifying the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. To investigate this, random copolymers of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) with xanthate incorporations ranging from 2 to 32% were prepared via free radical polymerization. Functionalization with 2% xanthate increased the LCST by 5 °C relative to the same polymer without xanthate. With increasing xanthate composition, the transition temperature increased and the transition range broadened until a critical composition of the hydrophilic xanthate groups (≥18%) where the transition disappeared completely. The adsorption of the polymers at room temperature onto chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) surfaces increased with xanthate composition, while adsorption onto quartz (SiO2) was negligible. These findings demonstrate the affinity of these functional smart polymers toward copper iron sulfide relative to quartz surfaces, presumably due to the interactions between xanthate and specific metal centers.