Measurement of sorption and diffusion in nonporous membranes by transient permeation experiments

The knowledge of sorption and diffusion of liquids or vapors and their mixtures in nonporous membranes facilitates systematic membrane selection and process design. A novel experimental technique for the measurement of sorption and diffusion in nonporous membranes is described. An experimental apparatus has been designed for carrying out the transient permeation experiments. A general time-lag analysis procedure has also been developed in order to obtain the sorption and diffusion parameters from the transient permeation data. The effects of concentration dependent diffusivities, polymer swelling and a thermodynamic correction factor have been included in the analysis. Transient permeation experiments have been carried out to determine the sorption and diffusion of acetone in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The results obtained are in good agreement with data from the literature, indicating that the proposed technique is suitable for the measurement of sorption and diffusion in nonporous membranes.