PERMEATION FLOW-ANALYSIS OF POLYMER NETWORKS

To detect the permeation flow through a swollen polymer network an app aratus for the flow analysis on polymer membranes was developed and us ed for the determination of the permeation coefficient P and the diffu sion coefficient D. Polymer membranes were prepared from 1,4-cis-polyb utadiene (Buna cis 132) and addition crosslinking silicon rubber (Wack er SilGel 600) by means of beta-ray- and thermal treatment, respective ly. These crosslinked products were characterized by sol-gel analysis and measurements of the uniaxial bulk modulus. The uncrosslinked origi nal materials were characterized by means of size exclusion chromatogr aphy (SEC). The permeation and diffusion coefficients of the specimens were calculated from the stationary permeation progress. They correla ted as a linear and an exponential function, respectively, with regard to the crosslink density and the equilibrium swelling degree of each sample.