Modification of polystyrene properties by CO2: Experimental study and correlation

摘要

The sorption of CO2 in polymers entails their swelling and plasticization whose study is crucial for the design of processes and further applications. The operating conditions during foaming, purification, or impregnation of polymers in CO2 are mainly determined by the mentioned binary system. In this work, the modification of polystyrene's physical properties (glass transition temperature and viscosity) has been experimentally studied. Since plasticization phenomena are very valuable for the processing of polymers, the amount of CO2 absorbed into the polymer is related with the changes in the described properties. Furthermore, interfacial tension is also correlated with the sorption of CO2 from literature data. The proposed correlation fits pretty well the properties shifts in the studied working conditions. Finally, the influence of pressure and temperature on the diffusivity of the CO2 in the polystyrene is calculated through the measurement of viscosity along time. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41696.