Temperature responsive surface layers of modified celluloses.

The temperature-dependent properties of pre-adsorbed layers of methylcellulose (MC) and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) were investigated on silica and hydrophobized silica surfaces. Three different techniques, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, ellipsometry, and atomic force microscopy imaging, were used, providing complementary and concise information on the structure, mass and viscoelastic properties of the polymer layer. Adsorption was conducted at 25 °C, followed by a rinsing step. The properties of such pre-adsorbed layers were determined as a function of temperature in the range 25 °C to 50 °C. It was found that the layers became more compact with increasing temperature and that this effect was reversible, when decreasing the temperature. The compaction was more prominent for MC, as shown in the AFM images and in the thickness data derived from the QCM analysis. This is consistent with the fact that the phase transition temperature is lower, in the vicinity of 50 °C, for MC than for HPMC. The water content of the adsorbed layers was found to be high, even at the highest temperature, 50 °C, explored in this investigation.