Estimation of the Effects of CO(2) and Temperature on the Swelling of PS-CO(2) Mixtures at Supercritical Conditions on Rheological Testing

The use of supercritical CO(2) as a blowing agent for polymeric foams instead of traditional blowing agents has been a trend in recent years. To achieve the final desired properties of the polymeric foams, the rheological behavior of the material needs to be reliable. The polymer swelling in the samples for rheological testing affects the results of the viscoelastic properties of the material. This study proposes a new testing methodology to control the accuracy and repeatability of the rheological characterization for PS-SCO(2) samples. To develop this methodology, three polystyrene resins with different molecular weight distribution were studied at three temperatures (170, 185 and 200 °C) and three pressures (0.1 MPa, 6.89 MPa and 13.78 MPa). The CO(2) concentration was estimated and used in the Sanchez–Lacombe Equation of State (SLEOS) to determine the polymer swelling, as it affects the dimensions of specimens tested in high-pressure rheometers. The correction factors provided a consistent trend in the viscosity with respect to temperature and a decrease of up to 50% in the standard deviation. The results of this study are crucial for an accurate measurement of viscoelastic properties by parallel-plate rheometry.