Original Articles: 2014 Vol: 6 Issue: 12
Sol-gel transitions of carbopol by conductometric investigation: The impact of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and benzalkonium chloride
Abstract
The gelation of carbomer occurs due to neutralization process of the polymer solution. The present work describes the changes in the thermophysical parameters such as molar conductance and related energetic as the polymer solution undergoes gelation so to provide more insight on the process of sol-gel transition. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as a viscosity enhancer and benzalkonium chloride (BKCl) which is a preservative and penetration enhancer were also added to the solution to study their effects on gelation. For the first time we experimented the sol-gel transitions in minute manner by conductometric titrations. The results are analyzed in terms of polymer solvent interactions with involved energetic.