TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF GAS SORPTION AND TRANSPORT-PROPERTIES IN POLYMERS - MEASUREMENT AND APPLICATIONS

Equipment for determination of gas sorption and transport properties of polymer membranes at elevated temperatures is described in detail. To illustrate the utility of the equipment, permeability and solubility data for five gases in bisphenol-A polycarbonate are reported for temperatures up to 175 and 120-degrees-C, respectively. Activation energies for permeation and diffusion and the heat of sorption for each penetrant in polycarbonate are also presented and interpreted. The temperature dependencies of both solubility and diffusivity selectivity and their contributions to the overall selective behavior of polycarbonate are discussed for CO2/CH4 and He/N2 separations at temperatures up to 120-degrees-C.