PHASE-EQUILIBRIA OF QUASI-TERNARY SYSTEMS CONSISTING OF MULTICOMPONENT POLYMERS 1 AND 2 IN A SINGLE SOLVENT .2. CLOUD POINT CURVE

Theoretical equations and a calculation method giving cloud point curv e (CPC) for a multicomponent polymer 1/multicomponent polymer 2/single solvent system (i.e. quasi-ternary system) were derived on the basis of the Flory-Huggins solution theory. The systematic calculations base d on this method were carried out to examine the effects on CPC of the type of molecular weight distribution, the polydispersity and the wei ght-average degree of polymerisation of the two original polymers, and three thermodynamic interaction parameters between solvent-polymer 1 (chi01), solvent-polymer 2 (chi02) and polymer 1-polymer 2 (chi12). Th e shape of CPC sensitively depends on the polydispersity of the origin al polymer and, with an increase in polydispersity, the immiscibility region becomes wider.