Blending of the Thermodynamically Incompatible Polyvinyl Chloride and High-Pressure Polyethylene Polymers Using a Supercritical Fluid Anti-Solvent Method (SEDS) Dispersion Process

Abstract

The experimental solubility data of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and high-pressure polyethylene (HPPE) in organic solvents (toluene, dichloromethane, and chloroform) at temperatures ranging from 308.15 to 373.15 K at atmospheric pressure are reported in the present paper. The solubility of the polymers (PVC and HPPE) in organic solvents (toluene, dichloromethane, and chloroform) was studied at temperatures between 298 and 373 K. The supercritical SEDS dispersion of PVC and HPPE polymer blends at pressures between 8.0 and 25 MPa and at temperatures from 313 to 333 K are reported in the present work. The kinetics of crystallization and phase transformation in polymer blends obtained by blending in a melt, and using the supercritical SEDS method, have been studied. The effect of the HPPE/PVC ratio on the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the polymer blends has been studied. For all studied polymer blends and pure polymers obtained using the SEDS method, the heat of fusion ΔfusH exceeds the values obtained by blending in the melt by 1.5 to 5) times. The heat of fusion of the obtained polymer blends is higher than the additive value; therefore, the degree of crystallinity is higher, and this effect persists after heat treatment. The relative elongation decreases for all polymer blends, but their tensile strength increases significantly.