USE OF INVERSE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY TO ASSESS THE COMPATIBILITY OF POLYURETHANE FOAM WITH LIQUIDS AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

A crosslinked polyurethane foam has been used as the stationary phase in inverse gas chromatography to measure the solubility parameter (del ta2) of the polymer at several temperatures (T) within the range 298-3 83 K. Values of delta2 = 29.5 (MPa)1/2 at 298 K and ddelta2/dT = - 0.0 6 (MPa)1/2 K-1 were yielded. Linear decreases with temperature of the solubility parameters (delta1) of water, ethanol and methanol were obt ained by calculation from relevant properties of the liquids. The resu lts were used to assess the conditions for the polyurethane foam to ac t as a non-interacting barrier against liquids of different polarities for which the criterion is that \delta1 - delta2\ should be large. Th e findings highlight the need to consider both the nature of the liqui d and the temperature regime.