Engineering Research Equipment Grant: A High Pressure Thermogravimetric System for Various Equilibrium, Transport and Reaction Studies

本补助金提供的设备是一种特殊的 由Cahn Model C-1100组成的热重系统 压力平衡加上相关加压、温度 控制和数据采集设备。 测量将 在700摄氏度和140个大气压下， 代表的条件远远超出了那些有能力 常规热重分析方法。 凭借这种独特 容量、特征扩散和气体溶解度数据 将有可能用于高温含氟聚合物和先进的 热塑性塑料。目前，这些数据是不存在的， 只有通过外推低的 预计会产生重大误差的压力数据。 获得这些数据的能力，再加上气泡成核 和增长的研究，应导致改进的聚合物泡沫 具有受控的开孔和闭孔的方法和产品 结构. 在昂贵的发泡含氟聚合物的情况下， 数据传输电缆的绝缘， 空隙率将导致显著的材料成本节约 和上级产品。 此外，气体-聚合物相互作用的研究 由SF6、氟利昂123和氟利昂134气体引起， 聚合物应该为评估这些气体提供基础， 含氯氟里昂的替代品， 目前用于聚合物泡沫工艺。 后一种气体具有 已经被证明对高层大气有有害影响 臭氧层，重要的是，令人满意的替代品， 鉴定

The equipment provided in this grant is a special thermogravimetric system consisting of a Cahn Model C-1100 Pressure Balance plus associated pressurization, temperature control, and data acquisition equipment. Measurements will be possible at 700 degrees Celsius and 140 atmospheres, which represent conditions significantly beyond those capable with conventional thermogravimetric methods. With this unique capability, characteristic diffusion and gas solubility data will be possible for high temperature fluoropolymers and advanced thermoplastics. Currently, such data are nonexistent and these properties can be estimated only through extrapolation of low pressure data which is expected to produce significant errors. The ability to obtain such data, coupled with bubble nucleation and growth studies, should result in improved polymer foam processes and products with controlled open and closed cellular structures. In the case of costly foamed fluoropolymer insulation for data transmission cable, small improvements in void fraction would result in significant material cost savings and superior products. Also, studies of gas-polymer interactions arising with SF6, Freon 123, and Freon 134 gases with various polymers should provide a basis for evaluating these gases as substitutes for the chlorine-containing freons which are currently used in polymer foam processes. The latter gases have been shown to have deleterious effects on the upper atmosphere ozone layer, and it is important that satisfactory substitutes be identified.