Isothermal ternary phase diagram of the polylactic acid-dichloromethane-hexane system

The ternary phase diagram of polylactic acid, dichloromethane (solvent) and hexane (nonsolvent) is experimentally developed at room conditions based on naked eye observations over 14-day periods. The experimental procedure is explained in detail, allowing it to be applied to similar ternary systems....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymer (Guilford) 2014-06, Vol.55 (14), p.3100-3106
Main Authors: Rezabeigi, Ehsan, Wood-Adams, Paula M., Drew, Robin A.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Dichloromethane
Exact sciences and technology
Hexanes
Levers
Monitors
Organic polymers
Phase diagrams
Phase separation
Physicochemistry of polymers
Polylactic acid
Polylactic acid solution
Polymer monolith
Properties and characterization
Solution and gel properties
Ternary systems
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The ternary phase diagram of polylactic acid, dichloromethane (solvent) and hexane (nonsolvent) is experimentally developed at room conditions based on naked eye observations over 14-day periods. The experimental procedure is explained in detail, allowing it to be applied to similar ternary systems. Three regions are distinguishable in this diagram: single phase, liquid–liquid phase separated and solid–liquid phase separated. This diagram is then assessed based on the lever rule concept in ternary phase diagrams. Phase separation kinetics are also evaluated using turbidity studies to quantitatively monitor the cloudiness of the samples over time. The results show that, a small increase in polylactic acid concentration on the order of a few weight percent can drastically increase the phase separation rate. The application of polylactic acid in various fields has been increasing, and this work provides fundamental information essential for solvent-based processing (e.g., nonsolvent induced phase separation and immersion-precipitation) of this polymer in the system composed of dichloromethane and hexane. [Display omitted]
ISSN:0032-3861
1873-2291
DOI:10.1016/j.polymer.2014.05.018