SUPERHEAT AND SPONTANEOUS BOILING OF POLY MER-SOLUTIONS

The phenomenon of spontaneous boiling of polymeric liquids is discusse d. We used the method of pulse heating of a wire probe to measure the spontaneous boiling temperature T. The time pf heating t* is changed from 10 to 10(3) mu s. The results of T measurements for polymer-solv ent systems in the whole range of compositions are presented. Data obt ained dy other authors using various experimental methods are analyzed . A set of [T(c)/T*(c=0)](c) data, where c is the weight fraction of a polymer, is located in the vicinity of a single, essentially nonaddi tive, curve. The peculiarities of polymer solution response to pulse h eating manifesting themselves in the dependence of T values on t* and on the initial temperature in a certain range of compositions are dis cussed. We propose a new approach to the interpretation of results obt ained in the region c --> 1.