In this study liquid-liquid phase equilibria of polymer solutions which cross-associations occured between polymer and solvent were modeled with an equation of state based on perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory(PC-SAFT). The PC-SAFT ...
In this study liquid-liquid phase equilibria of polymer solutions which cross-associations occured between polymer and solvent were modeled with an equation of state based on perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory(PC-SAFT). The PC-SAFT model was extended to associating chemicals which have two or more functional groups containing association sites, with incorporating number of functional group on molecule into the association term of PC-SAFT model
The thermal optical analysis(TOA) method was adopted for measurements of phase separations of Poly(4-vinylphenol)(PVPh)/Ketone and PVPh/Ester solutions, in which self-association of hydroxyl group in PVPh competes with solvation between the hydroxyl group of polymer and carbonyl group of solvents. The phase separations of PVPh/Acetone, PVPh/MEK, PVPh/Ethyl acetate and PVPh/Butyl acetate system showed the behaviors of LCST(lower critical solution temperature)-type. The measured cloud temperatures were lowered with increasing molecular weight of PVPh, and with decreasing molecular weight of solvent. These results were caused to increase in molecular size difference between polymer and solvent.
The experimental phase separation data were correlated with liquid-liquid equilibria relations based on PC-SAFT equation of state. PC-SAFT EoS parameters of associating polymer PVPh and cross-association were determined by simultaneously fitting liquid density data of PVPh and VLE data of the PVPh/Acetone system. Estimated parameters were as following.
[K] (energy parameter of cross association) = 2553.98,
[-] (volume parameter of cross association) = 0.054326
The estimated parameters of PVPh and cross-association parameters were utilized to calculations of the binodal and spinodal curves in PVPh/Acetone, PVPh/MEK solutions, and the calculated binodal curves were in good agreements with the experimental cloud temperatures.
For obtaining parameters of cross-association in the PVPh/Ester solutions, Extents of cross-association between solvent and polymer in the PVPh/Ester solutions were measured using the FT-IR spectrum analysis method, and cross-association parameters of PC-SAFT model were estimated from experimental extents of cross-association. Estimated parameters were as following.
[K] (energy parameter of cross association) = 2960.68,
[-] (volume parameter of cross association) = 0.038831
By using the estimated cross-association parameters between PVPh and ester molecule, binodal and spinodal curves of liquid-liquid equilibria were calculated in PVPh/Ethyl acetate and PVPh/Butyl acetate solutions, based on PC-SAFT Eos. The calculated binodal curves of these system were shown to be well agreeable with the experimental cloud temperature curves.
As a result, PC-SAFT model extended in this work is expected to be successfully applied for liquid-liquid phase equilibrium of polymer solutions in which cross-association between polymer and solvent occurred, and also estimated cross-association parameters between the hydroxyl group of polymers and carbonyl group of solvents are expected to be effectively applied to describe liquid-liquid equilibria of wide range of PVPh/Ketone and PVPh/Ester systems.