Diffuse movements, polymer penetrant

Although not necessary in terms of phenomenological applications, it is interesting to consider possible molecular meanings of the coefficients, Dq and D If two penetrants exist in a polymer in the two respective modes designated by "D" and "H" to indicate the "dissolved (Henry s law) and the "hole" (Langmuir) environments, then the molecules can execute diffusive movements within their respective modes or they may execute intermode jumps ... 

There is no fundamental qualitative difference in mechanisms of low molecular weight (MW) penetrant diffusion in polymers above and below glass transition temperature, Tg, of the polymers [5,6]. The difference lies only in the fact that the movement of structural units of the macromolecule that are responsible for the transfer of penetrant molecules takes place at different supermolecular levels of the polymer matrix. At T > Tg the process of diffusion takes place in a medium with equilibrium or near-equUibrium packing of chains, and the fractional free volume, P(, in the polymer is equal to the fractional free volume in the polymer determined by thermal mobUity of strucmral units of macromolecules V((T), i e., V(= vut). At r< Tg the process of diffusion comes about under nonequihbrium packing conditions, although there exists a quasi-equilibrium structural organization of the matrix, where Vf> It is assumed that in this case Vf= where is the fractional free volume... 

The models most frequently used to describe the concentration dependence of diffusion and permeability coefficients of gases and vapors, including hydrocarbons, are transport model of dual-mode sorption (which is usually used to describe diffusion and permeation in polymer glasses) as well as its various modifications molecular models analyzing the relation of diffusion coefficients to the movement of penetrant molecules and the effect of intermolecular forces on these processes and free volume models describing the relation of diffusion coefficients and fractional free volume of the system. Molecular models and free volume models are commonly used to describe diffusion in rubbery polymers. However, some versions of these models that fall into both classification groups have been used for both mbbery and glassy polymers. These are the models by Pace-Datyner and Duda-Vrentas [7,29,30]. 

Diffusion of small molecular penetrants in polymers often assumes Fickian characteristics at temperatures above Tg of the system. As such, classical diffusion theory is sufficient for describing the mass transport, and a mutual diffusion coefficient can be determined unambiguously by sorption and permeation methods. For a penetrant molecule of a size comparable to that of the monomeric unit of a polymer, diffusion requires cooperative movement of several monomeric units. The mobility of the polymer chains thus controls the rate of diffusion, and factors affecting the chain mobility will also influence the diffusion coefficient. The key factors here are temperature and concentration. Increasing temperature enhances the Brownian motion of the polymer segments the effect is to weaken the interaction between chains and thus increase the interchain distance. A similar effect can be expected upon the addition of a small molecular penetrant. 

In a rubbery polymer with flexible macromolecular chains (PDMS for example) the cavities forming the free-volume are clearly separated from each other. The detailed evaluation of the movement of a penetrant particle from cavity (1) to the neighboring (2), did not show any immediate back jumps (2) — (1). This is mainly do to the fact that the channel between (1) and (2) closes quiet quickly. In a polymer with stiff chains (glassy polyimide (PI) for example) the individual cavities are closer to each other and a rather large number of immediate back jumps ocurred during the time interval simulated (120). This indicates that once a channel between two adjacent cavities in a stiff chain polymer is formed it will stay open for some 100 ps. This makes the back jump (2) - (1) of the penetrant more probable than a jump to any other adjacent hole (3). This process seems to be one cause for the general tendency that the diffusion coefficient of small penetrants in stiff chain glassy polymers is smaller than in flexible chain rubbery polymers. 

The penetration of a solvent, usually water, into a polymeric implant initiates dmg release via a diffusion process. Diffusion of dmg molecules through non-porous polymer membranes depends on the size of the dmg molecules and the spaces available between the polymeric chains. Even through the space between the polymer chains may be smaller than the size of the dmg molecules, dmg can still diffuse through the polymer chains due to the continuous movement of polymer chains by Brownian motion. 

Thermal movement facilitates swelling of polymers with flexible chains. The flexible chain separated from an adjacent chain penetrates easily into solvent and the diffusion occurs at the expense of sequential transition of links. 

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