An Overview of the Theoretical Models Used to Predict Transport of Small Molecules through Polymer Membranes

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Abstract The interactions between polymer membranes and organic solvents, gases or vapors, water, and aqueous salt solutions have been extensively studied for almost half a century; nevertheless, complete understanding of the transport mechanism (sorption, diffusion, and permeation) at the molecular level is still far from satisfactory [1–10]. The interest that exists in the study of transport of small molecules through polymer membranes is due to the fact that a number of important practical applications depend wholly or in part on such phenomena. These include protective coatings such as paints and varnishes [11–14], electronic devices and cable materials [15–18], packaging materials for foods and vegetables [19–24], selective barriers for the separation of gaseous and liquid mixtures [25–29], biomedical devices [30–34], etc.