Determination of the Flory–Huggins Parameter of Organic Solvents in Cellulose Diacetate by RGC Technique

Abstract
The Flory–Huggins parameter and partial molar enthalpies of dissolution of saturated alcohols, acetone and acetonitrile in the amorphous structure of cellulose diacetate were determined at infinite dilution by reversed gas chromatography. Compatibility of the components of the binary solutions of the studied polymer with n-alcoholes was found to increase with the length of the alcohol alkyl chain and to decrease with isomerization of the chain. The low Flory–Huggins parameter values for acetone and acetonitrile indicate existence of the strong dipole–dipole interactions in the systems. Crucial influence of electron-accepting ability of the sorbates on thermodynamics of interaction between the polymer and low-molecular solvents was stated.

Keywords: reversed gas chromatography, cellulose diacetate, organic solutions, Flory–Huggins parameter, partial molar enthalpies of dissolution