Browsing by Author "Gonzalez, Carlos Jose Morillas"
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- Predicting mechanical properties of a solvent swollen polymeric filmPublication . Gonzalez, Carlos Jose Morillas; Barreiro, M.F.; Gomes, Helder; Martinez, AlbertoThe objective of this thesis is to understand how the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) swells when immersed in different solvents (juice) and the impact of this swelling in the mechanical properties of the PVA film. The swelling is calculated experimentally using a gravimetric method after immersion and equilibration in organic solvents the swollen films were tested mechanically and it was possible to relate the elastic modulus of PVA with the total amount of solvent absorbed. The empirical results were compared against theoretical values coming from the thermodynamics. Two theoretical models were evaluated: Flory-Huggins approach, based on an interaction parameter, and UNIFAC equations based in the functional groups present on the molecules. Overall, both models do not predict quantitatively the amount of solvent absorbed but they show directionally the behavior of the individual solvent at the time of swelling the polymer. UNIFAC showed better predictability than Flory- Huggins.