SAXS study of polymer adsorption on porous ZrO 2

The small‐angle X‐ray scattering method (SAXS) has been used for the analysis of polymer adsorption on porous ZrO 2 . Particular attention has been paid to the adsorption of polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) on the surface of porous ZrO 2 . It has been established that the SAXS method determines whether the polymer has penetrated the carrier's pores, and that polymers of low molecular weight create a thin transition layer on the surface of ZrO 2 (understood in the context of a change in the electron density). The creation of this layer is clearly reflected in the run of SAXS curves (Porod's plot). Ruland–Vonk's method has been used to determine the thickness of the transition layer. The results are consistent with those obtained when the viscosity method was used.