Rheological behavior of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose solutions: A linear viscoelastic model

The rheological behavior of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose HMHEC, an associative thickener, was studied and compared with that of hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethanes HEURs and nonassociative celluloses. In contrast to HEURs, a simple Maxwell model does not fit the linear viscoelastic behavior of HMHEC. Differences are attributed to the stiffness and comb structure of HMHEC. A generalized Maxwell model with a logarithmic distribution of relaxation times is proposed, and another parameter that includes Rouse-like relaxation is added to fit behavior at high frequencies. Four parameters are needed to describe HMHEC viscoelasticity: a mean relaxation time, lM ; its corresponding standard deviation, s; a plateau modulus, GN ; and a viscosity at infinite frequency, h ` . Satisfactory fitting is obtained for all concentrations and temperatures in the range of frequencies studied. The sharp increase of GN with concentration indicates loop-to-bridge transitions. Temperature does not influence GN , since the reduction in the number density of elastically effective chains caused by Brownian motion masks the direct effect of temperature. The dependence of lM on temperature follows the Arrhenius equation, as does the relaxation time of HEURs, but it does not change with concentration, presumably because the comb structure of HMHEC prevents the formation of long superchains

Shear thinning and thixotropy of HMHEC and HEC water solutions

Steady state viscosity and thixotropy of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose HMHEC and nonassociative cellulose water solutions are studied. Although all the samples are shear thinning, only the HMHEC is thixotropic, since the migration of hydrophobes to micelles is controlled by diffusion. The Cross model fits steady state curves. The Mewis model, a phenomenological model that proposes that the rate of change of viscosity when the shear rate is suddenly changed is related to the difference between the steady state and current values of viscosity raised to an exponent, fits structure construction experiments when the exponent, n, is estimated to be around 2. The Newtonian assumption used by Mewis cannot be used here, however. This seems to be related to the fact that the thickening is due to bridged micelle formation, which is a slow process, and also to topological constraints and entanglements, which are rapid processes. The kinetic parameter was redefined to kn in order to make it independent of initial conditions. So, kn depends only on how the shear affects the structure. kn reaches a plateau at shear rates too low to produce structure destruction and decreases at higher shear rates

Shear thinning and thixotropy of HMHEC and HEC water solutions

Steady state viscosity and thixotropy of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose HMHEC and nonassociative cellulose water solutions are studied. Although all the samples are shear thinning, only the HMHEC is thixotropic, since the migration of hydrophobes to micelles is controlled by diffusion. The Cross model fits steady state curves. The Mewis model, a phenomenological model that proposes that the rate of change of viscosity when the shear rate is suddenly changed is related to the difference between the steady state and current values of viscosity raised to an exponent, fits structure construction experiments when the exponent, n, is estimated to be around 2. The Newtonian assumption used by Mewis cannot be used here, however. This seems to be related to the fact that the thickening is due to bridged micelle formation, which is a slow process, and also to topological constraints and entanglements, which are rapid processes. The kinetic parameter was redefined to kn in order to make it independent of initial conditions. So, kn depends only on how the shear affects the structure. kn reaches a plateau at shear rates too low to produce structure destruction and decreases at higher shear rates