VOLUME DEPENDENCE OF THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY AND ISOTHERMAL BULK MODULUSUP TO 1 GPA FOR POLY(VINYL ACETATE)

The thermal conductivity lambda and heat capacity per unit volume of p oly(vinyl acetate) (260 kg mol(-1) in weight average molecular weight) have been measured in the temperature range 150-450 K at pressures up to 1 GPa using the transient hot-wire method, which yielded lambda = 0.19 W m(-1) K-1 at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The bul k modulus K has been measured in the temperature range 150-353 K up to 1 GPa. At atmospheric pressure and room temperature, K = 4.0 GPa and (partial derivative K/partial derivative p)(T) = 8.3. The volume data were used to calculate the volume dependence of lambda, [GRAPHIC] The values for g of the liquid and glassy states were 3.0 and 2.7, respect ively, and g of the latter was almost independent of volume and temper ature. Theoretical models can predict the value for g of the glassy st ate to within 25%. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.