Film Casting
TRADITIONAL METHOD
MATERIALS:
-
Styrofoam Cup
-
Large Test Tube
-
Chloroform or Toluene
-
Large Glass Plate
-
Doctor's Knife
PROCEDURE:
-
Place 1 gram of a styrofoam
cup which has been broken into small pieces into a large test tube. Add
enough solvent (chloroform or toluene) to prepare a 20% solution (by weight,
use 4 to 5 ml). Stir the mixture until the styrofoam is completely dissolved.
-
To cast a film, pour the
viscous solution near the edge of a glass plate, spread out and smooth
with a doctor's knife (just one time through), and allow to dry slowly
(usually the film is allowed to dry under a large watch glass). Complete
drying may take several hours (e.g. overnight).
-
Remove the resultant film
by applying pressure with a spatula or razorblade at the edges of the film.
Mount the film in a cardboard holder and use it as a polystyrene standard
for IR.
CASTING ON WATER
This method is applicable
to microscale samples and is a very quick and convenient method to evaluate
polymer films.
MATERIALS:
-
Polystyrene Sample (e.g.,
foamed polystyrene cup)
-
40:60 Dichloromethane:
diethyl ether solution
-
Disposable Dropping Pipette
-
Watch Glass
-
Paper Towels
PROCEDURE:
-
Dissolve about 10 mg of
a polystyrene sample in 1 mL of a 40:60 mixture of dichloromethane: diethyl
ether. Allow the polystyrene to completely dissolve.
-
Add a small amount of
water to a clean watch glass to make a puddle approximately 5 cm in diameter.
-
Add the polystyrene solution
dropwise to the top of the water. Observe the surface carefully - a film
will begin to form almost immediately. After several minutes, poke the
film with a stir rod or pipette. If the film is cohesive, gently remove
the film from the surface and place it on a paper towel to dry for ten
minutes.
-
This film makes a good
standard for IR spectroscopy. Mount the film in an IR holder or cut a hole
in the center of a business card and mount the film, using tape to hold
it in place, over the hole. Place the holder or business card into the
IR and record the spectrum. NOTE: Additives may have been added to the
polystyrene which will cause additional peaks to appear in the spectrum.
DEMONSTRATION
This general technique
also may be used as an interesting demonstration.
MATERIALS:
-
Acetone
-
Foamed Polystyrene "Peanuts"
-
Large Beaker
PROCEDURE:
-
Place a small amount of
acetone in the bottom of a large beaker.
-
Add handfuls of polystyrene
"peanuts" quickly.
-
The acetone will collapse
the foam (without truly dissolving it).
There are many interesting
lead-ins and follow-up discussions - be
creative. One example would be a discussion
of waste volume considerations (the collapsed foam certainly occupies much
less space than the original foam!) Young students especially like to try
to solve the problem of how to get a large box full of "peanuts" into a
600 mL beaker. The solution, of course, is to use about 40 mL of acetone.