Effect of antiplasticization on gas sorption and transport. I. Polysulfone

Abstract

AbstractThe addition of tricresyl phosphate, N‐phenyl‐2‐naphthylamine, and 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone to polysulfone causes changes in thermal and mechanical properties of the glassy mixtures associated with antiplasticization, i.e., reduction in glass transition temperature and increase in stiffness. These changes are also found to be accompanied by reductions in sorption of carbon dioxide and the permeability coefficients for helium, carbon dioxide, and methane at low diluent concentrations with reversal of these trends at higher levels as also occurs for the mechanical properties. Detailed analyses of data for carbon dioxide are given in terms of the dual sorption and mobility models often used for glassy polymers. The mobility for gas transport was found to decrease with diluent addition. The major cause for the decreased sorption is the reduction in glass transition temperature accompanying addition of the diluents. The changes in transport behavior approximately parallel the changes in mechanical behavior. These trends are not even qualitatively correlated with estimates of the excess volume changes associated with addition of the diluents to polysulfone.