Temperature — concentration dependence of polyvinyl acetate gels with respect to the collapse phenomenon

Abstract

The temperature dependence of equilibrium concentration of swollen polyvinyl acetate gels was studied below and above the ϑ temperature. Collapse was not observed. An analysis of the classical gel theories as well as the experimental results has shown that the James-Guth theory is adequate to describe the experimentally found universal dependence of φ _θ /φ on τ/φ _θ (where φ is the equilibrium concentration of the gel, τ is the reduced temperature and the ϑ subscript refers the ϑ state). It was also found that upon cooling below the ϑ point a continuous non-phase transition occurs.