EFFECTS OF THE MOLAR-MASS OF A SOLUTE ON PERMEABILITY THROUGH POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) GEL MEMBRANES

The effects of the molar masses of solutes on permeability through pol y(vinyl alcohol) PVA gel membranes were studied using polyethylene gly col having a wide range of molar masses and other solutes, such as ele ctrolytes, glucose, and maltose. Furthermore, the effects of the netwo rk structure and fixed charges on the permeability were studied using opaque, transparent, and charged PVA gels. The permeability coefficien ts of solutes through PVA gel membranes (P) depended on the hydrodynam ic radius of the solute (d(0)) and the mesh sizes of the network (xi). When interactions between the matrix and the solute were negligible, the normalized permeability coefficients (P/D-0) were found to be the scaling function of xi/d(0).