POLYMER-POLYMER MISCIBILITY PREDICTION FROM POLYMER(1) ANALOG PROBE-POLYMER(2) EXCHANGE INTERACTION PARAMETER USING INVERSE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY - THE MISCIBILITY OF POLY(VINYL METHYL-ETHER) WITH POLY(VINYL ESTER)S

The polymer (1) analogue probe-polymer (2) exchange interaction parameter (X12) as determined by inverse gas chromatography (i.g.c.) has been used to predict the miscibility in poly(vinyl ester)s (1) and poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) (2) blends. The hydrogenated monomers of the poly(vinyl ester)s have been used as the analogue probes and PVME as the stationary phase in i.g.c. A miscible system is predicted when X12 has a negative value. The prediction agrees well with the experimental miscibility results based on film clarity and glass transition temperature measurements. This study establishes that PVME is miscible with poly(vinyl propionate) and poly(vinyl butyrate) but immiscible with poly(vinyl acetate).