Oxygen permeable

Oxygen-hydrogen Oxygen in gasoline Oxygen monitors Oxygen permeability... 

Eresh fmit and vegetable packaging is often in bulk in a variety of traditional wooden boxes and crates, and cormgated fiberboard cases. At or near the retail level, bulk produce may be repackaged in oxygen-permeable flexible materials such as PVC, with or without a tray of foamed polystyrene. 

Numerous variations and other appHcations are common for flexible packaging materials, eg, oxygen-permeable wraps for fresh red meat and produce shrinkable, low oxygen permeabiHty bags for meat and rigid tray closures. 

Copolymers of diallyl itaconate [2767-99-9] with AJ-vinylpyrrolidinone and styrene have been proposed as oxygen-permeable contact lenses (qv) (77). Reactivity ratios have been studied ia the copolymerization of diallyl tartrate (78). A lens of a high refractive iadex n- = 1.63) and a heat distortion above 280°C has been reported for diallyl 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate [51223-57-5] (79). Diallyl chlorendate [3232-62-0] polymerized ia the presence of di-/-butyl peroxide gives a lens with a refractive iadex of n = 1.57 (80). Hardness as high as Rockwell 150 is obtained by polymerization of triaHyl trimeUitate [2694-54-4] initiated by benzoyl peroxide (81). 

Fig. 4. Oxygen permeability in a vinylidene chloride copolymer film at selected levels of plasticizer (Citroflex A-4). Plasticizer level in parts pet hundred resin...

Cross-linked versions of water-soluble polymers swollen in aqueous media are broadly referred to as hydrogels (52) and have a growing commercial utility in such apphcations as oxygen-permeable soft contact lenses (qv) (53) (Table 4) and controUed-release pharmaceutical dmg deflvery devices (54). Cross-linked PVP and selected copolymers fit this definition and are of interest because of the following stmcture/performance characteristics ... 

Fig. 2. Oxygen permeabilities of ethylene—vinyl alcohol copolymers at 20°C (10). See Table 1 for unit conversions.

Table 11. Effect of Orientation on Oxygen Permeability for Certain Polymers...

Table 12. Effect of Calcium Carbonate Fillers on Oxygen Permeability of Low Density Polyethylene...

Fig. 15. Oxygen permeability versus 1/specific free volume at 25 °C (30). 1. Polybutadiene 2. polyethylene (density 0.922) 3. polycarbonate 4. polystyrene 5. styrene-acrylonitrile 6. poly(ethylene terephthalate) 7. acrylonitrile barrier polymer 8. poly(methyl methacrylate) 9. poly(vinyl chloride) 10. acrylonitrile barrier polymer 11. vinyUdene chloride copolymer 12. polymethacrylonitrile and 13. polyacrylonitrile. See Table 1 for unit conversions.

The number of contact lens wearers has grown to an estimated 24 million in the United States and 50 million worldwide. Concurrendy, there has been a proliferation of contact lens manufacturers and products. The 1980s saw the widespread introduction of lens products made of more oxygen-permeable materials, ie, rigid gas-permeable (RGP) materials that made PMMA lenses virtually obsolete and high water content hydrogels that competed with HEMA-based lenses. 

Hard lenses can be defined as plastic lenses that contain no water, have moduli in excess of 5 MPa (500 g/mm ), and have T well above the temperature of the ocular environment. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has excellent optical and mechanical properties and scratch resistance and was the first and only plastic used as a hard lens material before higher oxygen-permeable materials were developed. PMMA lenses also show excellent wetting in the ocular environment even though they are hydrophobic, eg, the contact angle is 66°. 

Certain copolymers of this type have been found to have excellent gas barrier properties, with the dry polymer having an oxygen permeability only about 1/lOth that of polyvinylidene chloride. Unsurprisingly, the copolymer has a high moisture absorption and a high moisture vapour transmission rate. Where the material is swollen by water, gas permeability is also higher. 

Commerical grades of EVOH typically have vinyl alcohol contents in the range 56-71%, but in contrast to the corresponding EVA materials these copolymers are crystalline. Furthermore, an increase in the vinyl alcohol content results in an increase in such properties as crystalline melting point, tensile strength and tensile modulus together with a decrease in oxygen permeability. This is a reflection of the fact that the ethylene and vinyl alcohol units in the chain are essentially isomorphous (see Sections 4.4 and 14.3.1). 

As is to be expected, the table shows that as the humidity is increased, causing swelling and an increase in the interchain separation, so the oxygen permeability increases. Also, as expected, the percentage increase is greater the higher the vinyl alcohol content. 

Peelable film in case-ready ground beef package add color and shelf life. As an example Cryovac Div. of W. R. GRACE CO uses a peelable barrier lid and foam tray system. It is two packages in one there is an oxygen barrier structure, which is peeled off, leaving an oxygen-permeable film over the meat. 

A large membrane pack of this type will act like an artificial gill, permitting a swimmer to breathe like a fish and remain submerged for much longer periods of time than are possible with scuba equipment. Speculative fiction has man returning to live in the seas, and this type of application may make it possible. Their application in spacecraft is obvious as a part of a continuously recycled air support system. The oxygen permeability of silicone materials is just one example of the selective permeability of plastics. 

Siloxane-(methyl methacrylate) networks showing high oxygen permeabilities were prepared by gamma-irradiation of tx,(o-methacryloyl terminated tetramethyl-disiloxanes and methyl methacrylate 325). Due to the utilization of very low molecular weight disiloxane modifier, no phase separation was observed in the networks produced. DSC studies showed only one Tg around 120 °C. These materials were evaluated... 

Ligeza A, Tikhonov AN, Hyde JS, Subczynski WK. 1998. Oxygen permeability of thylakoid membranes Electron paramagnetic resonance spin labeling study. Biochim Biophys Acta 1365 453. 

Vitzthum, O. G., Werkhoff, P., Measurable changes of roasted coffee aroma in oxygen permeable bag packs, Chem. Mikrobiol. Technol. Lebensm., 6, 25, 1979. (CA91 54812p)... 

FS Horn, SA Veresh, WR Ebert. Soft gelatin capsules II. Oxygen permeability study of capsule shells. J Pharm Sci 64 851-857, 1975. 

Grouping for rigid gas-permeable lenses was published by FDA in 1989. The generic names and oxygen permeabilities of rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lens materials are provided in Table 7 [310]. 

The metal ion, e.g. Fe or Co, when in its lower oxidation state can share electron charge with the oxygen molecule adduct. Several iron and cobalt prophyrin derivatives and cobalt-Schiff bases show the necessary reversibility and rates for successful application [e.g. 23]. a, a, a", a" -weso-tetrakis[(o-piralamidophenyl)-po phinato] Co (II) has been complexed with 1-methylimidazole to make a complex (CoPIm) which, when mixed with polybutyl methacrylate gave oxygen permeabilities on the order of 10-9 sec-cm/(cm2-s-cmHg) with a selectivity of about 5 over nitrogen [23]. 

Even better results were obtained by Johnson et al. [24] with the Co compounds shown as Fig. 10. These were dissolved in appropriate solvents and immobilized into standard microporous membranes composed of nylon or PTFE. Oxygen permeabilities were as high as 3 x 10 8 sec-cm/(cm2-s-cmHg) with selectivity over nitrogen up to 20, leading to product purity up to 85%. 

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