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Article
Phase Diagrams of Binary Crystalline Polymer Blends
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B
  • Rushikesh A. Matkar, The University Of Akron
  • Thein Kyu, The University of Akron
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-27-2006
Abstract

A thermodynamically self-consistent theory has been developed to establish binary phase diagrams for two-crystalline polymer blends by taking into consideration all interactions including amorphous-amorphous, crystal-amorphous, amorphous-crystal, and crystal-crystal interactions. The present theory basically involves combination of the Flory-Huggins free energy for amorphous-amorphous isotropic mixing and the Landau free energy of polymer solidification (e.g., crystallization) of the crystalline constituents. The self-consistent solution via minimization of the free energy of the mixture affords determination of eutectic, peritectic, and azeotrope phase diagrams involving various coexistence regions such as liquid-liquid, liquid-solid, and solid-solid coexistence regions bound by liquidus and solidus lines. To validate the present theory, the predicted eutectic phase diagrams have been compared with the reported experimental binary phase diagrams of blends such as polyethylene fractions as well as polycaprolactone/trioxane mixtures.

Citation Information
Rushikesh A. Matkar and Thein Kyu. "Phase Diagrams of Binary Crystalline Polymer Blends" The Journal of Physical Chemistry B Vol. 110 Iss. 32 (2006) p. 16059 - 16065
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/thein_kyu/59/