Phase Behavior of a Carbon Dioxide/Methyl Trimethoxy Silane/Polystyrene Ternary System

Recently, polymeric foams filled with a silica aerogel have been developed. The phase behavior of CO(2)/silicon alkoxide binary systems and CO(2)/silicon alkoxide/polymer ternary systems is an important factor that affects the design of novel processes. The phase behavior of a carbon dioxide (CO(2))/methyl trimethoxy silane (MTMS)/polystyrene (PS) ternary system was measured using a synthetic method involving the observation of the bubble and cloud point. The phase boundaries were measured at temperatures ranging from 313.2 to 393.2 K and CO(2) weight fractions between 0.01 and 0.08. The CO(2)/MTMS/PS system showed a similar CO(2) mass fraction dependence of the phase behavior to that observed for the CO(2)/tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS)/PS system. When the phase boundaries of these systems were compared, the vapor-liquid (VL) and vapor-liquid-liquid (VLL) lines were found to be nearly identical, while the liquid-liquid (LL) lines were different. These results indicate that the affinity between the silicon alkoxide and polymer greatly influences the liquid-liquid phase separation.