Determination of the hydrogenation state of benzene by the thermally induced phase separation of Poly(ethersulfone)

Abstract

The thermally induced phase separation behavior of poly(ethersulfone) (PES) in organic solvents is applied in sensing the hydrogenation state of benzene. A non-solvent of PES, benzene and its reduction products lower the clouding point temperature (Tcp) of a polymer solution. The Tcp decreases as the number of pi electrons decreases, and a linear correlation between the temperature and concentration is obtained. In addition, the Tcp of the mixed system can be predicted according to the proportion of components, and the calculated results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.