STUDIES ON THERMODYNAMIC COMPATIBILITY OF NITRILE RUBBER AND POLYBUTADIENE BY INVERSE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Inverse gas chromatography technique has been used to study the thermo dynamic compatibility of the industrially important elastomers polybut adiene (BR) and polybutadiene copolymerised with acrylonitrile (NBR). The NBR used in this study had nitrile contents of 18 and 34%. The rat io of BR/NBR in blends varied between 1 and 0.25 in both cases and ret ention volume of twelve probes was measured at 80 degrees C. The Flory -Huggins interaction parameter X(23)', computed using a standard proce dure, and also the interaction parameter B-23 showed that BR and NBR a re incompatible in all compositions and that incompatibility increases with nitrile content. (C) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.