PVT properties of polyethylene copolymer melts

PVT properties of four polyethylene random copolymers (ethylene-propylene, ethylene-1-butene, ethylene-1-hexene, and ethylene-1-octene) and linear polyethylene were measured at temperatures from 313 to 493 K and pressures up to 200 MPa. Dependence of properties such as specific volume, thermal expansion coefficient, isothermal compressibility, and characteristic parameter of equations of state on the length of the polymer branched chains were examined. It was found that the length of the branched chain did not affect the thermal expansion coefficient and isothermal compressibility. The specific volume of copolymers having longer branched chains were slightly larger than those copolymers with short branched chains.