Application of Continuous Thermodynamics to Polymer Fractionation

Continuous thermodynamics was developed in recent years and applied successfully to the liquid-liquid equilibrium of poly disperse polymer solutions. Continuous thermodynamics is based on the direct use of continuous distribution functions in the thermodynamic equations. There is no need for a reduction to pseudocomponents. This paper presents the application of continuous thermodynamics to successive polymer fractionation procedures based on solubility differences. In this way, simple equations for the distribution function of the different polymer fractions are obtained. Furthermore, the other equations describing the fractionation possess a lucid structure favorable for computer simulations of the fractionation procedures.