A STUDY OF MIXTURES OF POLY(HYDROXY ETHER OF BISPHENOL-A) AND POLY(EPSILON-CAPROLACTONE) BY INVERSE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) has been used to calculate polymer-po lymer interaction parameters and interaction energy densities in blend s of poly(hydroxy ether of bisphenol A) (Phenoxy resin or PH) and poly (epsilon-caprolactone)(PCL). These parameters have been evaluated at t hree different compositions and a temperature range between 130 and 16 0-degrees-C from the Scott-Flory-Huggins formalism showing, in all cas es, a marked dependence on the probes used. Two data analysis methods have been used, in an attempt to avoid the influence of the probe on t he values of the interaction magnitudes. In both methods this influenc e has been clearly reduced and the trends in the resulting values are quite similar. Both methods give negative values of the polymer-polyme r interaction parameter for all compositions and temperatures studied, reflecting the miscibility of the PH/PCL system due to hydrogen-bondi ng interactions. The values of the experimental interaction parameters obtained from these two methods agree with simulated data resulting f rom the application of the Coleman, Painter, and co-workers associatio n model and all are in good agreement with the value of the interactio n parameter derived from previous melting point depression studies.