Determination of the activation energies of diffusion of organic molecules in poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract

AbstractPoly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a highly inert packaging material that exhibits low interaction with foodstuff and consequently a limited diffusion of migrants. Migration modeling can therefore be used as an alternative to experimental migration tests in order to confirm compliance of PET packaging materials with food laws. The most important factor for predicting migration using mathematical models is the diffusion coefficient of the migrant in PET. However, current models that predict this parameter are typically based on worst‐case scenarios and thereby significantly over‐estimate the degree of migration. The key parameter for developing more realistic migration models is the activation energy of diffusion of potential migrants in PET, but experimental data on this are scarcely available in the scientific literature. The aim of the present study was therefore to develop a fast and precise method for determining diffusion coefficients and activation energies of diffusion of organic compounds in PET. Activation energies of diffusion for 13 organic compounds in PET were determined via their diffusion coefficient temperature dependencies. The molecular weight and activation energy of diffusion for the compounds investigated in this study were correlated, offering a basis for a new approach in predicting diffusion coefficients for use in migration modeling. The proposed method is a suitable tool to establish the datasets needed to refine the current migration model. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013