A small-angle neutron scattering study of adsorbed poly(ethylene oxide) on Laponite

The adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) on synthetic anisotropic clay particles (Laponite) has been investigated as a function of the molecular weight. Contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements were used to characterize the distribution and adsorbed amount of polymer on the particles. These experiments show not only that polymer is present on the face of the clay particle but that it also extends or "wraps" over the edges. The edge layer was thicker than the face layer for all the molecular weights studied. The polymer layers are unusually thin, with a thickness and adsorbed amount that show little variation with molecular weight.