Gas chromatographic determination of the interaction parameter of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Abstract Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) has been used to investigate thermodynamic miscibility of a molten poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blend. Toluene, benzene, and chloroform have been employed as probes in pure and mixed stationary phases of these polymers. Experimental measurements have been taken over a narrow range of temperatures because of the high PMMA glass transition temperature as well as the degradation of the PEO. The interaction parameter χ 23 determined at 150°C is slightly negative and dependent on the interacting probe, as has been also noted in previous chromatographic studies on polymer‐polymer miscibility. The last section is devoted to a model calculation, using Flory's equation of state theory. Different χ 23 ‐concentration curves have been simulated, with the interaction energy parameter X 23 as an adjustable parameter.