Understanding Solute-Solvent Interaction and Evaporation Kinetic in Binary-Solvent and Solvent-Polymer Systems

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores the evaporation kinetics of various polymer-solvent and binary solvent mixtures to explore possible connections between the solutions properties and their evaporation process. By looking at the evaporation of polymer-solutions and binary-solvent solutions, through the change in weight as the solvent evaporates and the evaporation rate of the evaporation process, potential connections could be found. The results indicate that the presence of polymers influence the solvent evaporation, with polystyrene (PS) generally accelerating and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) either decelerating or having minimal impact on evaporation rates. Binary solvent mixtures exhibited non-proportional increases in evaporation rates, suggesting complex intermolecular interactions, but no apparent patterns between their properties and deviation in the evaporation process. This would need further research to find possible connections to be able to predict the evaporation process. But these findings highlight the importance of understanding polymer-solvent compatibility and evaporation dynamics to enhance performance and to identify environmentally friendly solvents for organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell fabrication.