Lower Newtonian viscosities of polystyrene

Abstract

AbstractA falling coaxial cylinder viscometer was used to measure the melt flow behaviour of a commercial polystyrene with Mw 260,000. The shear stress region extended down to 0.6 × 104 dynes/cm2 and shear rates were as low as 3 × 10−2 sec−1 at 186°C. The shear rate‐shear stress plots were linear at low shear stresses with slopes (differential viscosities) of 3.3 × 105 poises at total shear less than 120 units and decreasing differential viscosity with higher total shear. The flow curves at relatively low total shear were initially dilatant and became pseudoplastic with increasing shear stress. The inflection point represents a Newtonian apparent viscosity, which agrees fairly well with literature values for polystyrenes of the same Mw. Newtonian apparent viscosity is characteristic of a point value of shear stress and shear rate and is not necessarily a plateau region. Observation of a Newtonian region with decreasing shear stress or shear rate does not prove that this flow regime persists unchanged to zero values of the experimental parameter. The existence and magnitude of the Newtonian apparent viscosity reflects shear history of the polymer as well as its constitution and molecular weight distribution.