The Rheometric Data for the PhD Dissertation "Rheological Considerations for Dual-Extrusion Melt Processing of Dissimilar Polymers in Composite Structures"

The rheometric data for the PhD dissertation "Rheological Considerations for Dual-Extrusion Melt Processing of Dissimilar Polymers in Composite Structures".Gel spinning is the industrial method of choice for combining hydrophilic ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polymer resins with a hydrophobic support polymer to produce composite filaments for cytapheresis. Cytapheresis is a medical technique for removal of leukocytes from blood. Gel spinning is used to avoid high melt viscosity and thermal sensitivity of UHMW resins and the high melt temperature of the substrate resin but requires the recovery of toxic solvents. The UHMW resin is used because it forms a stable gel phase in the presence of water; a lower molecular weight resin (LMW) simply dissolves. UHMW and LMW resins were both poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and the substrate was polyarylsulfone (PAS). The literature indicated PEO undergoes non-oxidative thermal degradation above 200 °C and PAS is processed up to 350 °C. Dynamic oscillatory shear rheometry was used to study 0, 25, 40, 50, 60, and 75 wt. % UHMW PEO in LMW PEO to take advantage of the sensitivity of viscosity to changes in molecular weight and material configuration, indicating degradation. Samples were exposed to 220 °C, 230 °C, 240 °C, 250 °C, 275 °C, and 300 °C temperatures for 5 min to explore conditions that could result in sample degradation. The viscosity decreased less with increasing UHMW PEO content for samples exposed to the same temperature and the viscosity decreased more with increasing exposure temperature for samples with the same UHMW PEO content. Parameters were regressed from observed data to predict the change in molecular weight via empiricisms relating the viscosity to molecular weight, shear rate, temperature, and time.The *.tri files are proprietary format files generated during rheometric tests performed on the TA Instruments ARES G-2 rheometer using the TA Instruments Trios software. The same software has an offline mode that is used for data analysis and export. The free version of the software is sufficient to open and explore the files or to export them. It can be found on this page (https://www.tainstruments.com/support/software-downloads-support/) and directly downloaded using these links for the full version (https://s3.amazonaws.com/Trios/TRIOS_Full_v5.1.1.46572.exe) or the lite version (https://s3.amazonaws.com/Trios/TRIOS_Lite_v5.1.1.46572.exe). If it seems reasonable to include a copy of an installer then the full version would be the one to include.