Compression of poly(vinyl alcohol) gels by ultracentrifugal forces

Compression due to ultracentrifugal forces was investigated for poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gels. The concentration gradient profiles for the gels were obtained by experiment and were then compared with a theoretical prediction. By the application of the centrifugal forces, the concentration gradient near the bottom increases sharply whereas the gradient inside the gel remains almost constant in the region far from the bottom. Further application of the centrifugal forces enhances the peak near the bottom. These are well explained by the theory proposed in the previous paper [Urayama et al. J Chem Phys 2005;122:024906.]. The frictional coefficient f for the PVA gels, which originates from the friction between the polymer network and solvent molecules, is estimated to be 3.5×1014 N s m−4.