Blends of immiscible polymers are often stabilized by block copolymers which can form non-aqueous micelles and microemulsions in the liquid polymers. The phase diagrans, apparent volumes and apparent heat capacities of model non-aqueous binary and ternary systems were studied in order to investigate the conditions under which such self-assembly systems could form. 1,2-Hexanediol, which can cosolubilize hexane and ethyleneglycol, forms inverse micelles in hexane and weak microaggregates in ethyleneglycol. Genapol X-060, a commercial alcoholic surfactant containing on the average an aliphatic chain of 13 carbons and 6 oxyethylenes (C13E6), forms microaggregates in poly(ethyleneglycol) 400. These self-assembly systems are strengthen in the presence of a third component which has an affinity for the inner phase.

Phase diagrams, volumes and heat capacities of aqueous mixtures of 2,6-dimethylpyridine (2,6-L) and 2-isobutoxyethanol (iBE) and activities of 2,6-L in aqueous mixtures were measured in the monophasic region near the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). With 2,6-L some measurement were also made just above the LCST. From the temperature dependence of these data, partial molar relative enthalpies (2,6-L), expansibilities and the temperature derivative of heat capacities were calculated and show that iBE undergoes a microphase transition at low concentration which is not related to the phase separation. On the other hand, the properties of 2,6-L in the water-rich region at temperatures well below the LCST indicates that this solute has only a slight tendency to associate. The heat capacities of 2,6-L show an important increase near the LCST. Such changes are not observed for iBE and other alkoxyethanols and amines since these systems already exist in the form of microphases; the partial molar properties of iBE near the LCST are nearly equal to the molar values of the pure liquid, and the changes in thermodynamic properties corresponding to the macroscopic phase transition, are therefore too small to be measured by the present techniques.

A general study of the properties of electrolytes in aprotic solvents was undertaken in order better to understand and control the factors which limit the performance of lithium batteries at low temperatures. The properties measured are solid-liquid phase diagrams, apparent molar volumes and heat capacities, conductivities and viscosities. Most of the data are for two electrolytes (LiBr and LiClO4) in five aprotic solvents (1,2-dimethoxyethane, acetonitrile, γ-butyrolactone, dioxolane and to a lesser extent propylene carbonate). The low concentration thermodynamic data cannot be analysed unambiguously in terms of solvation effects because the Debye-Hückel limiting slope is unknown and it is difficult to account correctly for ion association. Our study shows that, according to the phase diagrams, the presence of solvates is largely responsible for the trends in the thermodynamic properties of the solutions at high concentration. When ion pairing is not a dominating factor, the trends in the conductivities of the lithium salts are qualitatively similar and tend to those of the molten salt or the molten solvates at high mole fractions. Lithium salts are strongly associated in 1,2-dimethoxyethane but at the same time are highly soluble. This electrolyte system has many unique properties.

A simple method of thermal analysis is described which gives the same information as differential scanning calorimetry. The method is based on the Heat-Leak-Modulus, HLM, of a sample cell placed in a constant temperature reservoir. In the present study, the HLM method is used for the investigation of pure components and mixtures from −190 to 50 °C. The method allows the determination of glass-transition, crystallizations, solid–solid transition, eutectic, and melting temperatures with a reproducibility better than ±0.1 °C. The enthalpy of a transition can be determined with a reproducibility of ±5%. The simplicity, the low cost, and the precision of the HLM method fills the gap between standard cooling curves and sophisticated differential scanning calorimetry experiments. The HLM method has numerous applications in physical chemistry, polymer science, metallurgy, and chemical engineering.