Polymers for Nonporous Barrier

The separation performance of membranes with nonporous barriers is - because of the transport via solution-diffusion (cf. Section 2.2) - predominantly influenced by the polymer material itself. Therefore, the material selection is directly related to the intrinsic (bulk) properties of the polymer, but - as for porous membranes - filmforming properties, mechanical and thermal stability form the basis of applicability (cf. Section 2.3.2.1). The following characteristics should be considered  

poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are examples of selective polymers frequently used for nonporous barriers (see also Sections 2.6.2, 2.6.3). 

---