The Efficiency of Polymer Fractionation at Lower Critical Solution Temperatures

The efficiency of a single fractionation step (i.e. of the partition of a given polymer sample between the coexisting phases which form when its solution demixes) is governed by the variation of the mass ratio of the individual P-mers with chain length. These dependences have been measured for the system dimethoxymethane/diethylether/ polystyrene which exhibits lower critical solution temperatures by means of the Baker-Williams method and by means of g.p.c. Their comparison with the results of previous investigation on systems showing upper critical solution temperatures reveals no thermodynamic differences in the aptitude of upper and lower critical solution temperatures for fractionation …