Date of Award

Spring 2012

Degree Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Polymers and High Performance Materials

Committee Chair

Sarah Morgan

Committee Chair Department

Polymers and High Performance Materials

Abstract

Gantrez® copolymers are used widely in the personal care industry, but their mechanisms of interaction with dental surfaces are poorly understood. In this study, we determined a number of the solution and polymer properties that control deposition, adsorption and adhesion in Gantrez® polymer aqueous solutions to model dental surfaces. QCM studies specifically showed that polymer adsorption to model hydroxyapatite surfaces occurred only in solutions with polymer concentration above c*. Adsorption and adhesion was greater in solutions of higher pH, where greater charge density along the polymer backbone was expected. For films prepared via spin-coating onto mica surfaces, addition of surfactants to the solution resulted in film surfaces with more regular morphology and surface coverage. Flow-through studies in QCM, however, showed that there was no polymer deposition or adhesion to the silicon surface from solution in the presence or absence of surfactants. The results from these studies provide an expanded database to allow researchers to design formulations to meet specific requirements of deposition and adhesion for personal care applications.

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