Solubilities of sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide in polyester resins

In supercrit. carbon dioxide (CO2) assisted polymer processes the soly. of CO2 in a polymer plays a vital role. The higher the amt. of CO2 dissolved in a polymer the higher is the viscosity redn. of the polymer. Solubilities of CO2 in polyester resins based on propoxylated bisphenol (PPB) and ethoxylated bisphenol (PEB) were measured using a magnetic suspension balance at temps. ranging from 333-420 K and pressures up to 30 MPa. An optical cell was used to independently det. the swelling of the polymers, which was incorporated in the buoyancy correction. In both polyester resins, the soly. of CO2 increases with increasing pressure and decreasing temp. as a result of variations in CO2 d. The exptl. soly. was correlated to the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state. [on SciFinder (R)]