Viscometric studies of interactions between ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide and polyvinyl pyrrolidone in aqueous solutions

• Viscosities of PVP in aqueous solution of IL are measured.
• The flow activation energies are calculated.
• The flow activation energies are correlated in terms of polymer concentration.
• Intrinsic viscosity of PVP is decreased by increasing temperature.

Ionic liquids are investigated as solvents for polymerization processes, as plasticizers of various kinds of polymers and as components of the polymeric matrixes. In this research, viscosity of polyvinyl pyrrolidone in aqueous solution of ionic liquid, 1-octyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide are measured at various temperatures. The flow activation energies are calculated and correlated in terms of polymer concentration. From sign of the initial slope of the activation energy versus polymer concentration at zero concentration, it is concluded that thermodynamic quality of ionic liquid aqueous solutions are reduced by increasing temperature. The value of the intrinsic viscosity of polyvinyl pyrrolidone was determined using Huggins equation and thermodynamic parameters of this polymer were calculated on the basis of intrinsic viscosity. Also the effect of ionic liquid, 1-octyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide on the thermodynamic parameters of dilute aqueous polyvinyl pyrrolidone solutions, such as (polymer + solvent) interaction parameter, theta temperature, the heat of dilution parameter and the entropy of dilution parameter was investigated. Results suggest that the thermodynamic quality of water was increased slightly by the addition of ionic liquid in aqueous solution of polyvinyl pyrrolidone.