High-Pressure, Molecular Weight-Dependent Behavior of (Co)polymer-Solvent Mixtures: Experiments and Modeling

TLDR: In this paper, cloud-point data as a function of polymer molecular weight are presented for polyethylene (PE)-dimethyl ether (DME) and poly(ethylene-co-methyl acrylate) (35 mol % acrylated) (EMA)-butane mixtures to temperatures of 210°C and pressures of 2700 bar.

Abstract: Cloud-point data as a function of polymer molecular weight are presented for polyethylene (PE)-dimethyl ether (DME) and poly(ethylene-co-methyl acrylate) (35 mol % acrylate) (EMA)-butane mixtures to temperatures of 210°C and pressures of 2700 bar. The cloud-point curves for PE-DME, at temperatures below ∼125°C, and EMA-butane, at temperatures below ∼150°C, order with respect to the weight average molecular weight. The cloud-point behaviors for these two systems along with the poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (4.1 mol % acid) (EAA)-butene system are modeled with the statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT). For each system, a constant value of the binary interaction parameter, k ij , is fit to the parent-solvent cloud-point curve and is used in subsequent calculations