SOLUBILITY OF POLYMERS.

Polymers differ from low molecular weight compounds in a number of ways; among them are (i) the comparatively low thermal expansivities and compressibilities of their melts at higher temperatures, (ii) the frequent occurence of solidification to a glass instead of a crystal at low temperatures, and (iii) the fact that even chemically uniform polymer samples normally consist of a large number of species differing in molecular mass and architecture. The consequence of these peculiarities of polymers with respect to their solubility are discussed for the example of linear chain molecules. Firstly, the survey reviews the experimental methods for the determination of solubility limits and critical conditions. Then the general phenomena observed with systems containing high molecular weight material are worked out and discussed theoretically.