1999 journal article

Enhanced miscibility of low-molecular-weight polystyrene polyisoprene blends in supercritical CO2

JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B, 103(26), 5472–5476.

By: T. Walker n, . Raghavan  n, . Royer n, S. Smith n, G. Wignall n, Y. Melnichenko n, S. Khan n , R. Spontak n 

co-author countries: United States of America πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

While ongoing efforts continue to explore the high-pressure phase equilibria of polymer blends, few studies have attempted to address the impact of a supercritical (sc) fluid on such equilibria. In this work, we report on the phase behavior of an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) polymer blend in the presence of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), a nonselective plasticizing agent. Blends composed of low-molecular-weight polystyrene and polyisoprene have been examined as a function of temperature in scCO2 by visual inspection, small-angle neutron scattering, and spectrophotometry. In the presence of scCO2, the cloud point temperature is depressed by as much as 28 Β°C, depending on both blend composition and CO2 pressure. Complementary studies performed with nitrogen decouple the plasticization efficacy of CO2 from free-volume compression due to hydrostatic pressure. Existence of a pressure yielding a maximum in CO2-induced cloud point depression is established. These results provide evidence for enhanced polymer miscibility as a result of the plasticizing effectiveness and tunable solubility of scCO2.