Group contribution methods for estimating the properties of polymer systems

Polymer materials are nowadays used in a wide range of technological applications. Reliable knowledge of the thermo physical properties of pure polymers and their mixtures in the whole composition and a wide temperature and pressure range determines whether a given polymer is suitable for a specific application. On the other hand, accurate knowledge of the thermodynamic properties of the systems is a vital prerequisite for computer-aided syntheses, design, and the optimization of industrial polymer processes. However, the experimental data on polymer solubility are often scarce, and at this point, thermodynamics provide a powerful tool for modeling and extrapolating the experimental data. These models, together with factual data banks, are powerful software tools for the reliable development of chemical processes and other applications of industrial interest. The status of the different approaches and important applications of industrial interest using thermodynamic information derived from data banks or by using predictive thermodynamic models are presented in this review.