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Rheological properties of mixtures of molten polymer and fluorocarbon blowing agent. II. Mixtures of polystyrene and fluorocarbon blowing agent
Author(s) -
Han Chang Dae,
Ma ChinYuan
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1983.070280235
Subject(s) - blowing agent , polystyrene , fluorocarbon , viscosity , polymer , materials science , polymer chemistry , rheology , chemical engineering , chemistry , composite material , polyurethane , engineering
The viscosities of mixtures of polystyrene and fluorocarbon blowing agent were determined, using the experimental technique described in Paper I of this series. For the study, three commercial grades of polystyrene were used, together with the following fluorocarbon blowing agents, trichlorofluoromethane (FC‐11), dichlorodifluoromethane (FC‐12), and blends of FC‐11 and FC‐12. For each combination of polystyrene and blowing agent, blowing agent concentration and melt temperature were varied. We have found that, for all three polystyrenes used, a single correlation exists between the viscosity reduction factor (VRF) and the blowing agent concentration, in which VRF is defined as the ratio of the viscosity of polystyrene‐blowing agent mixture to that of polystyrene homopolymer. The correlation was found to be independent of shear rate and temperature, and dependent upon only the type of fluorocarbon blowing agent. It was suggested that such a correlation be used in predicting the bulk viscosity of mixtures of polystyrene and fluorocarbon blowing agent, using information on the viscosity of polystyrene alone.