The application of neutron scattering to the relation between chain dimensions and miscibility for polyolefins

Abstract

A method is described that can predict the way the great majority of polyolefins mix with each other just based on knowledge of their chemical architecture. The miscibility of saturated hydrocarbon polymers (polyolefins) is shown to be essentially controlled by the values of their solubility parameters as determined by several kinds of measurements, but most importantly from neutron scattering. Moreover, the way that these solubility parameters depend on the chain dimensions of the chains, is outlined. A method to estimate chain dimensions by a correlation of the fraction of carbons that are on side branches vs the backbone is also given. The combination of these relations thus provides a very powerful mechanism to predict the mixing thermodynamics of polyolefins blends based simply on their chemical structure.