Pa. Steward et al., STUDIES ON PERMEATION THROUGH POLYMER LATEX FILMS .2. PERMEATION MODIFICATION BY SUCROSE ADDITION, Polymer international, 38(1), 1995, pp. 13-22
An investigation of the effect of leachable sucrose on the permeabilit
y of polymer latex films showed that the additive can be used to vary
the solute permeability in a systematic manner, as a result of increas
ed free volume resulting from additive leaching. However, the extent o
f the permeability enhancement is dependent on both the glass transiti
on temperature of the polymer and its ability to sustain porosity and
prevent pore reduction by wet sintering and/or film drying, and also t
he compatibility of the sucrose additive with the polymer. The loading
of additive dictates how readily it is leached and, hence, the presen
ce, or not, of continuous porosity through the full thickness of film.
Although continuous porosity can be conferred on the film by the sucr
ose leaching, the resulting porosity still greatly inhibits the permea
tion of electrolyte, and the film fails well before the level of poros
ity approaches that required for unimpeded transport.