LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE EQUILIBRIUM OF POLYMER SOLUTIONS AND POLYMER BLENDS UNDER POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PRESSURE

In this paper we would like to give a brief review about the extensibility of the liquid-liquid locus into the negativepressure region. Negative pressure states are hardly explored; most researchers believe that the pressure scale ends at p = 0.We would like to show that this is not true, the p = 0 point is not a special point for liquids, it can be "easily" crossed. We aregoing to give a few example, where the extension of liquid-liquid locus for polymer blends and solutions below p = 0 givesus some interesting results, like the merging of UCST and LCST branches in weakly interacting polymer solutions or thereason why most UCST blends exhibit pressure induced immiscibility. Also, we will see what happens with the immiscibilityisland of aqueous polymer solutions when -- reaching the critical molar mass -- it "disappears".

LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE EQUILIBRIUM OF POLYMER SOLUTIONS AND POLYMER BLENDS UNDER POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PRESSURE*

In this paper we would like to give a brief review about the extensibility of the liquid-liquid locus into the negativepressure region. Negative pressure states are hardly explored; most researchers believe that the pressure scale ends at p = 0.We would like to show that this is not true, the p = 0 point is not a special point for liquids, it can be "easily" crossed. We aregoing to give a few example, where the extension of liquid-liquid locus for polymer blends and solutions below p = 0 givesus some interesting results, like the merging of UCST and LCST branches in weakly interacting polymer solutions or thereason why most UCST blends exhibit pressure induced immiscibility. Also, we will see what happens with the immiscibilityisland of aqueous polymer solutions when -- reaching the critical molar mass -- it "disappears".