• Clean Technology
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• v.13 no.1 s.36
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• pp.28-33
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• 2007

We measured cloud points of Poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) in various solvents using the high-pressure variable volume view cell apparatus. The solvents used for dissolving PMMA were chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), dimethylether (DME), 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a), 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), and the effect of $CO_2$ concentration on the phase behavior of $PMMA+HCFC-22+CO_2$ system and $PMMA+DME+CO_2$ system was observed. PMMA was dissolved well in HCFC-22 from about 340 K, 5MPa and in DME from about 300 K, 28MPa. However, PMMA was not dissolved at all up to 423.15 K, 160MPa in the other fluorine compound such as HFC-l43a, HFC-152a and HFC-134a. PMMA+HCFC-22, $PMMA+HCFC-22+CO_2$ and PMMA+DME systems exhibit the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior, however, $PMMA+DME+CO_2$ system exhibits the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior. In the $CO_2$ mixture, the cloud point pressure of PMMA was increased dramatically proportional to the amount of $CO_2$ added, and from this result, it was known that $CO_2$ could be used as an antisolvent for fabricating PMMA nano-particles. And the cloud point of PMMA could be controlled by changing the concentration of $CO_2$.