Effect of Solvent on the Miscibility of Polystyrene/Poly(Styrene-Co-Acrylonitrile) Blends at Different Temperatures

Abstract

The effect of solvent and temperature on the miscibility of polystyrene (PS) and poly (styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (PSAN) was examined by the dilute-solution viscometry (DSV) method. The extent of miscibility of different PS/PSAN blend compositions (30/70, 50/50, and 70/30) in chloroform (CHCl3) and N, N- dimethyl formamide (DMF) was discussed in terms of the signs of various viscosity (ΔB, μ, Δ[η], α, and β) parameters. Based on the sign convention of these interaction parameters, partial miscibility in DMF and almost immiscibility in CHCl3 was indicated for the examined blend. The data obtained from the DSV method were then correlated with the ones obtained through density and refractive index measurements; good agreement was obtained. The study also revealed a relatively greater influence of temperature and composition on the miscibility of the blend in DMF than in CHCl3.