Swelling kinetics of polymer-solvent systems

✍ Scribed by H.J. Mencer; Z. Gomzi

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 335 KB
• Volume: 30
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-3057
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-3057(94)90229-1

✦ Synopsis

Swelling of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (ESCORENE UL 00218, EXXON Chemicals, Belgium) in solvents of different types has been carried out by the volumetric method at three temperatures. The swelling kinetics are related to the swelling rate constants. A new variable, a', is introduced and defined for comparing kinetic parameters in various polymer-solvent systems. A kinetic model of a reversible first order process was taken as a theoretical model because of the best fitting of experimental data to this model. The solvents are considered from the kinetic (swelling rate constants as indicators) and thermodynamic (equilibrium swelling degree as indicator) points of view. Poly(ethylene-covinyl acetate) interacts with solvents mainly by dispersive forces, but the kinetics of swelling may also be affected by other factors, such as the viscosity and molar volume of the solvent.