Analog calorimetry and UNIQUAC group contributions approaches to the miscibility of PVC with EVA copolymers

The miscibility of blends of poly(vinyl-chloride) (PVC) with poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) was investigated through analog calorimetry and a group contribution procedure based on the UNIQUAC model. The group contribution parameters quantifying the pair interactions between the structural features of the above polymers were calculated from experimental excess enthalpies of a series of binary mixtures of chlorocompounds, esters and hydrocarbons. Enthalpy data were also collected for the ternary mixtures (2-chloropropane+ethyl acetate+n-heptane) and (2-chlorobutane + methyl acetate+n-heptane), chosen as possible models for the studied macromolecular mixtures. The miscibility window of the PVC-EVA blends is fairly predicted by the group contribution method. It is also acceptably predicted by the enthalpic behaviour of the first ternary set, but only when the latter is calculated with binary data. A slightly narrower miscibility range-is predicted by the binary interaction model. The results of these procedures are compared and the higher reliability of the group contribution procedure is emphasized in terms of its capability to reproduce the exact structure of the macromolecules and the non-univocal choice of the model molecules involved in the analog calorimetry approach.