Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications - digital archive 

Abstract

In the preceding paper, basic thermodynamic functions have been derived for a solution of macromolecules associating by means of functional groups (stickers), thus forming junctions, each of which consists of m stickers and bm molecules of solvent. In the present communication, phase stability of the systems under consideration is analyzed. For several values of parameters m and b, spinodal curves are calculated and their minima (i.e. critical solution points) are localized. At higher junction multiplicity values (e.g. at m = 10), a local maximum appears on the spinodal, dividing it into two lobes, each displaying a different critical point. The effect of the stoichiometric parameter b on splitting the spinodal and on positions of the critical solution points is described.

Keywords: Polymer association theory; Multiple chain junctions; Solvent-complexed chain junctions; Folded spinodal curves; Two critical solution points; Thermodynamics.

References: 3 live references.