Influence of hydroxyl end groups on the vibrational properties of polymer and monomer solutions: An attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared absorbance study

Abstract

We studied, versus temperature, the vibrational properties of ethylene glycol (EG) (H—(O—CH₂—CH₂)—OH) and ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGmE) (CH₃—(O—CH₂—CH₂)—OH), in solution with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) (H—(O—CH₂—CH₂)_n—OH) at different concentrations, by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. These homologous systems differ for the number of OH end groups, in particular two for EG, and one for EGmE. Connecting the O—H stretching band shape to the different hydrogen bond imposed local environments, we clarified the role of this bond in the solute-solvent interactions, obtaining information on the quality of these solvents.