Transport of aromatic solvents through natural rubber/polystyrene (NR/PS) interpenetrating polymer network membranes

A series of interpenetrating polymer network membranes have been synthesised from natural rubber and polystyrene by the sequential polymerisation technique. The transport of aromatic hydrocarbons through semi- and full-interpenetrating polymer network membranes (IPNs) have been studied in detail by tracing the solvent uptake up to equilibrium. The sorption was carried out in a series of aromatic solvents viz. benzene, toluene and xylene. The effect of temperature on swelling is studied by carrying out the experiments in toluene in the temperature range of 30–75 °C. The effects of blend ratio, crosslinker content and nature of initiator on the diffusion of various solvents were analysed. It was found that in all cases, the uptake value increased by about 50% as the PS content decreased from 70–30%. The diffusion, sorption and permeation coefficients were evaluated. As the crosslink density was increased, the uptake decreased by 40%. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated from diffusion experiments. The diffusion profiles were compared with theoretical predictions. The influence of swelling on the mechanical performance of the membranes has been investigated by conducting tensile testing of swollen specimens.