Solution properties of a fluorinated alkyl methacrylate polymer in carbon dioxide

The solution properties of a fluorinated alkyl methacrylate, poly(1,1,2,2-tetrahydroperfluorooctyl methacrylate) (PFOMA), in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) were studied by static and dynamic light scattering. The solvent quality of CO2 was found to improve with increasing temperature and CO2 density as exhibited by an increase of the second virial coefficient. Both the hydrodynamic radius expansion factor and the second virial coefficient of PFOMA solution were found to be functions of a single interaction parameter that can be independently changed by either temperature or density variations. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the relationship between two directly measurable quantities, the second virial coefficient and the hydrodynamic expansion ratio, is the same for both temperature-induced and CO2 density-induced variations of solvent quality.