SOLUBILITY PARAMETERS OF POLYMERS FROM SWELLING MEASUREMENTS AT 60-DEGREES-C

The swelling behavior of the networks of natural rubber, an epoxidized natural rubber, low-density polyethylene, polystyrene, and poly(methyl methacrylate) are studied in six classes of solvents at 60 degrees C. The data of the swelling coefficient are successfully treated by a modified version of the empirical equation proposed by Gee, as to determine the solubility parameter of a polymer, delta(2). It is found that increasing the temperature would decrease the delta(2)'s of these polymers with a common rate of 0.02 (J/mL)(1/2)/K. A semiempirical model is proposed to rationalize the present finding satisfactorily. (C) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.