POLYMER PRECIPITATION USING A MICELLAR NONSOLVENT - THE ROLE OF SURFACTANT-POLYMER INTERACTIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROENCAPSULATIONTECHNIQUE

Conjugated phenolic polymers are precipitated from solution using a no nsolvent system containing sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT ) reversed micelles. When contacted with nonpolar fluids, these polyme rs coil-up at low concentrations as a result of intramolecular hydroge n banding. Precipitation using a micellar nonsolvent results in highly dispersed polymeric particles whose internal voidage can be controlle d by the water content of the micelles. Precipitation in such fluids a lso results in an encapsulation of intramicellar solutes (enzymes and/ or ferrite nanoparticles), leading to the formation of microspherical composites with biocatalytic and/or magnetic properties.