Thermodynamics is an indispensable tool for developing a large and growing fraction of new polymers and polymer blends. These two volumes show the researcher how thermodynamics can be used to rank polymer pairs in order of immiscibility, including the search for suitable chemical structure of compatibilizers. Because of the great current commercial interest in this most dynamic sector of the polymer industry, there is high interest in studying their physical and mechanical properties, their structures, and the processes of their formation and manufacture. These Books are dedicated to Analysis of the Thermodynamics of Polymer Blends. Thermodynamic behavior of blends determines the compatibility of the components, their morphological features, rheological behavior, and microphase structures. As a result, the most important physical and mechanical characteristics of blends can be identified. The information in these two volumes will be useful to all those involved in polymer research, development, analysis and advanced process engineering.

Polymer Blends, Volume 1 highlights the importance of polymer blends as a major new branch of macromolecular science. Topics range from polymer-polymer compatibility and the statistical thermodynamics of polymer blends to the phase separation behavior of polymer-polymer mixtures, transport phenomena in polymer blends, and mechanical properties of multiphase polymer blends. The optical behavior, solid state transition behavior, and rheology of polymer blends are also discussed. This book is organized into 10 chapters and begins with an overview of polymer blends, with emphasis on terminology and the effect of molecular weight on the thermodynamics of polymer blends as well as phase equilibria and transitions. The discussion then turns to the miscibility of homopolymers and copolymers, in bulk and in solution, from the experimental and theoretical viewpoints. The chapters that follow explore the statistical thermodynamics of polymer blends, paying particular attention to the Flory and lattice fluid theories, along with the phase relationship in polymer mixtures. The interfacial energy, structure, and adhesion between polymers in relation to the properties of polymer blends are considered. The final chapter examines the phenomena of low molecular weight penetrant transport. Currently accepted models for unsteady-state and steady-state permeation of polymeric materials are presented. A discussion of unsteady-state absorption and desorption behavior observed in a variety of polymer blends complements the treatment of permeation behavior. This book is intended to provide academic and industrial research scientists and technologists with a broad background in current principles and practice concerning mixed polymer systems.

Polymer blends offer properties not easily obtained through the use of a single polymer, including the ability to withstand high temperatures. High Temperature Polymer Blends outlines the characteristics, developments, and use of high temperature polymer blends. The first chapter introduces high temperature polymer blends, their general principles, and thermodynamics. Further chapters go on to deal with the characterization of high temperature polymer blends for specific uses, such as fuel cells and aerospace applications. The book discusses different types of high temperature polymer blends, including liquid crystal polymers, polysulfones, and polybenzimidazole polymer blends and their commercial applications. High Temperature Polymer Blends provides a key reference for material scientists, polymer scientists, chemists, and plastic engineers, as well as academics in these fields. - Reviews characterization methods and analysis of the thermodynamic properties of high temperature polymer blends - Reviews the use of materials such as liquid crystals as reinforcements as well as applications in such areas as energy and aerospace engineering

A complete and timely overview of the topic, this volume of the encyclopedia imparts knowledge of fundamental principles of polymer blends. Each article is uniformly structured for easy navigation, containing the latest research & development and its basic principles and applications.

The CRC Handbook of Solubility Parameters and Other Cohesion Parameters, Second Edition, which includes 17 new sections and 40 new data tables, incorporates information from a vast amount of material published over the last ten years. The volume is based on a bibliography of 2,900 reports, including 1,200 new citations. The detailed, careful construction of the handbook develops the concept of solubility parameters from empirical, thermodynamic, and molecular points of view and demonstrates their application to liquid, gas, solid, and polymer systems.

A complete and timely overview of the topic, this volume imparts knowledge of fundamental principles and their applications for academicians, scientists and researchers, while informing engineers, industrialists and entrepreneurs of the current state of the technology and its utilization. Each article is uniformly structured for easy navigation, containing the latest research & development and its basic principles and applications, examples of case studies, laboratory and pilot plant experiments, as well as due reference to the published and patented literature.

Thermodynamics is an indispensable tool for developing a large and growing fraction of new polymers and polymer blends. These two volumes show the researcher how thermodynamics can be used to rank polymer pairs in order of immiscibility, including the search for suitable chemical structure of compatibilizers. Because of the great current commercial interest in this most dynamic sector of the polymer industry, there is high interest in studying their physical and mechanical properties, their structures, and the processes of their formation and manufacture. These Books are dedicated to Analysis of the Thermodynamics of Polymer Blends. Thermodynamic behavior of blends determines the compatibility of the components, their morphological features, rheological behavior, and microphase structures. As a result, the most important physical and mechanical characteristics of blends can be identified.

Polymer Thermodynamics: Blends, Copolymers and Reversible Polymerization describes the thermodynamic basis for miscibility as well as the mathematical models used to predict the compositional window of miscibility and construct temperature versus volume-fraction phase diagrams. The book covers the binary interaction model, the solubility parameter approach, and the entropic difference model. Using equation of state (EOS) theories, thermodynamic models, and information from physical properties, it illustrates the construction of phase envelopes. The book presents nine EOS theories, including some that take into account molecular weight effects. Characteristic values are given in tables. It uses the binary interaction model to predict the compositional window of miscibility for copolymer/homopolymer blends and blends of copolymers and terpolymers with common monomers. It discusses Hansen fractional solubility parameter values, six phase diagram types, the role of polymer architecture in phase behavior, and the mathematical framework for multiple glass transition temperatures found in partially miscible polymer blends. The author also illustrates biomedical and commercial applications of nanocomposites, the properties of various polymer alloys, Fick’s laws of diffusion and their implications during transient events, and the use of the dynamic programming method in the sequence alignment of DNA and proteins. The final chapter reviews the thermodynamics of reversible polymerization and copolymerization. Polymer blends offer improved performance/cost ratios and the flexibility to tailor products to suit customers’ needs. Exploring physical phenomena, such as phase separation, this book provides readers with methods to design polymer blends and predict the phase behavior of binary polymer blends using desktop computers.