ANALYSIS OF FACILITATED TRANSPORT IN POLYMERIC MEMBRANE WITH FIXED SITE CARRIER .2. SERIES RC CIRCUIT MODEL

A new mathematical model for facilitated mass transport in a polymeric membrane with a fixed-site carrier was developed by extending the sin gle RC circuit model, which was derived by assuming concentration fluc tuation and an analogy between electron transport in a parallel resist or-capacitor (RC) circuit and mass transport in a facilitated transpor t membrane. Here, a series of parallel RC circuits was employed instea d of the single RC circuit to take account of the four diffusion pathw ays, demonstrating solute transfer betwwen matrix and carrier. It was then examined against the experimental data on oxygen transport throug h poly(dimethyl siloxane), poly(butyl methacrylate) and poly(methyl me thacrylate) with a metallo-porphyrin carrier. The current model showed a better agreement than the single circuit model but the difference w as minor.