Influence of Sonication on the Molecular Characteristics of Carbopol^® and Its Rheological Behavior in Microgels

In this work, the effect of sonication on the molecular characteristics of polyacrylic acid (Carbopol^® Ultrez 10), as well as on its rheological behavior in aqueous dispersions and microgels, was analyzed for the first time by rheometry, weight-average molecular weight (M) measurements via static light scattering (SLS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and confocal microscopy. For this, the precursor dispersion and the microgels containing 0.25 wt.% of Ultrez 10 were sonicated in a commercial ultrasound bath at constant power and at different times. The main rheological properties of the microgel, namely, shear modulus, yield stress and viscosity, all decreased with increasing sonication time, while the microgel's Herschel-Bulkley (H-B) behavior, without thixotropy, was preserved. Also, M of Ultrez 10 decreased up to almost one-third (109,212 g/mol) of its original value (300,860 g/mol) after 180 min of sonication. These results evidence a softening of the gel microstructure, which results from the reduction in the M of polyacrylic acid with sonication time. Separately, FTIR measurements show that sonication produces scission in the C-C links of the Carbopol^® backbone, which results in chains with the same chemistry but lower molecular weight. Finally, confocal microscopy observations revealed a diminution of the size of the microsponge domains and more free solvent with sonication time, which is reflected in a less compact and softer microstructure. The present results indicate that both the microstructure and the rheological behavior of Carbopol^® microgels, in particular, and complex fluids, in general, may be manipulated or tailored by systematic high-power ultrasonication.