TRANSPORT KINETICS AND DIFFUSION OF MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC LIQUIDS IN POLYMERIC BLENDS OF ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE RANDOM COPOLYMER AND ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE

Experimental results of molecular transport and diffusion parameters, determined by a gravimetric method, are presented for a thermoplastic Santoprene rubber in the presence of monocyclic aromatics between 25 d egrees and 70 degrees C. The analysis of sorption, diffusion, and acti vation parameters led to the conclusion that transport depends on solv ent size and the chemical nature of the molecules. Overshoot effect is attributed to the complex morphology of the Santoprene. However, othe r factors which might induce overshooting are the polymer segment rela xation and the leaching of the indigenous additives. Transport kinetic s is studied using the first-order equation. Flory-Rehner theory is us ed to estimate the molar mass between physical chain entanglements.