Solvent Uptake Research Articles

Incorporating graphene nanosheets in PDMS membrane: Effects of filler functionalization on pervaporation performance

Graphenic materials including Graphene oxide (GO) functionalized with butylamine/octadecylamine (GOButA, GOODA) and their chemically-reduced derivatives (rGO, rGOButA, rGOODA) were used in polydimethylsiloxane/polyethersulfone membranes to increase the enrichment factor for pervaporative removal of toluene from water. The characteristics of synthesized nanosheets assessed by FTIR, XPS, XRD, RAMAN, SEM, and TGA showed that the graphenic materials were properly synthesized, functionalized, and reduced. The membrane-filler interactions were assessed by the contact angle, solvent uptake, and pervaporation. The pervaporation showed incorporating GO or GOButA resulted in deterioration of enrichment factors down to 51% and 34% (comparing to the neat PDMS membrane) due to increase the membrane's hydrophilicity and affinity to water by oxygen functional groups while GOODA increased the enrichment factor by 12%. Using chemically-reduced derivatives of rGO, rGOButA, and rGOODA, the enrichment factors were increased by 110, 130, and 449%, respectively. Increasing the alkyl chain length of functionalizing groups on the nanosheets causes their higher hydrophobicity and better dispersion, which result in decrease of free energy and water flux and ultimately enhancement in the membrane's enrichment factor. The improvement in performance by incorporating the nanosheets was verified by comparing the results of present research with those in literature based on a developed boundary.

Mechanical and thermal characterization of condom industry waste reinforced natural rubber composites - Circular economy approach

Condom industry waste mainly consists of light magnesium carbonate (LMC), which is extensively used as a finishing powder during the final stages of condom production. This LMC waste (LW) is usually disposed of as a landfill, causing an increase in the hardness of water. LW generated in HLL Lifecare Limited, India, was procured, characterized by analytical techniques, and reutilized in natural rubber (NR) as a reinforcing filler. The prepared composites were subjected to rheological, mechanical, thermal and sorption characterizations. In comparison to NR neat, the composite with 3 phr (parts per hundred of rubber) LW showed a rise in tensile strength, tear strength, and modulus at 300% elongation by 22%, 20%, and 28%, respectively. A remarkable decrease in abrasion loss is also evidenced. The activation energy (Ea) for degradation, calculated by the Coats-Redfern (CR) method, showed 10 kJmol-1 increase for composite with 3 phr LW, proving its better thermal stability. It also exhibited higher solvent uptake resistance, as established by sorption experiments. The superior properties of this composite have been attributed to the uniform LW distribution and ameliorated NR-LW interaction. Hence, the prepared composites find considerable potential in manufacturing industrial NR components accomplishing a circular economy.

Influence of the Inclusion of Propylene Carbonate Electrolyte Solvent on the Microstructure and Thermal and Mechanical Stability of Poly(l-lactic acid) and Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) Battery Separator Membranes.

The influence of the inclusion of the organic solvent propylene carbonate (PC) in microporous membranes based on poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) P(VDF-HFP) has been studied based on its relevance for the application of those separator membranes in lithium-ion batteries. The membranes have been produced through solvent casting and characterized with respect to the swelling ratio originated by the uptake of the organic solvent. The organic solvent uptake affects the porous microstructure and crystalline phase of both membrane types. The organic solvent uptake amount affects the crystal size of the membranes as a consequence of the interaction between the solvent and the polymer, since the presence of the solvent modifies the melting process of the polymer crystals due to a freezing temperature depression effect. It is also shown that the organic solvent partially penetrates into the amorphous phase of the polymer, leading to a mechanical plasticizing effect. Thus, the interaction between the organic solvent and the porous membrane is essential to properly tailor membrane properties, which in turn will affect lithium-ion battery performance.

Merging Proline:Xylitol Eutectic Solvent in Crosslinked Chitosan Pervaporation Membranes for Enhanced Water Permeation in Dehydrating Ethanol.

The scope of this research aims at merging a new deep eutectic mixture (DES) into a biopolymer-based membrane for a pervaporation application in dehydrating ethanol. Herein, an L-proline:xylitol (at 5:1) eutectic mixture was successfully synthesized and blended with chitosan (CS). A complete characterization of the hybrid membranes, in terms of morphology, solvent uptake, and hydrophilicity, has been conducted. As part of their applicability, the blended membranes were assayed for their ability to separate water from ethanolic solutions by means of pervaporation. At the highest temperature (50 °C), a water permeation of ca. 0.46 kg m-2 h-1 was acquired, representing a higher permeation than the pristine CS membranes (ca. 0.37 kg m-2 h-1). Therefore, CS membranes demonstrated an enhanced water permeation thanks to their blending with the hydrophilic L-proline:xylitol agent, making these membranes a good candidate for other separations containing polar solvents.

Transport Property Modulation via Solvent-Specific Behavior in Crosslinked Nonaqueous Membranes

Nonaqueous redox flow batteries (RFBs) are one economically promising solution for meeting grid-scale energy storage needs at discharge durations of 10 h or more. However, membrane transport properties in nonaqueous systems are not as well understood as in water. Solvent-specific effects complicate efforts to understand transport in nonaqueous systems. Changing the solvent used to measure membrane transport properties causes changes in solvent uptake, which can mask other solvent-specific differences and trends. This study decoupled these effects by using crosslinked membranes with post-crosslinking solvent exchange steps to vary the membrane solvent uptake of three solvents that are suitable for RFBs. This approach enabled the independent study of solvent uptake and specific measurement solvent effects on membrane transport properties. The results revealed differences in polymer solvation between the measurement solvents, and these differences led to changes in the sensitivity of both ionic conductivity and uncharged active material permeability to solvent uptake. Additionally, these changes in sensitivity appeared to be independent of each other, e.g., a weak dependence of ionic conductivity on solvent uptake coupled with a strong dependence of permeability on solvent uptake was observed for some materials. As a result, the highest-performing membrane, a crosslinked phenoxyaniline trisulfonate-functionalized poly(phenylene oxide) membrane produced using acetonitrile as the de-swelling solvent and characterized using propylene carbonate, retained a high conductivity of 0.20 mS cm–1 while restricting active material permeability to less than 10–11 cm2 s–1. The reported solvent-specific behavior suggests that specific solvent–polymer interactions may provide a route to simultaneously increase ionic conductivity and decrease active material permeability, which would lead to more selective membranes to enable high-efficiency nonaqueous RFBs.

Microfluidic synthesized ZIF-67 decorated PVDF mixed matrix membranes for the pervaporation of toluene/water mixtures

Compared to traditional methods for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the pervaporation (PV) process using the polymeric membrane is both efficient and cost-effective. In this work, the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer was modified by incorporating the hydrophobic ZIF-67 nanoparticles prepared using the microfluidic synthesis method. The prepared ZIF-67 and mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) were analyzed using different analytical methods such as HRTEM, FESEM, AFM, water contact angle, solvent uptake study, FTIR, XRD, TGA, and UTM. The prepared membranes were tested for toluene/water mixture separation using pervaporation at 30 °C for 150 ppm toluene concentration in the feed solution. Further, the prepared MMMs were tested to study the effect of ZIF-67 filler loading, feed temperature, and feed composition on the total flux, toluene selectivity, and pervaporation separation index (PSI). Adding 3 wt% of ZIF-67 nanoparticles to the PVDF membrane increased the total flux and toluene selectivity from 5.25 to 41.24 L m−2 h−1 (684.8%) and 37.87 to 467.59 (1134.4% increment). The hydrophobicity of ZIF-67, validated by WCA, can be attributed to this significant boost in toluene selectivity. The toluene flux, water flux, and PSI for the optimized membrane were 2.70, 38.53, and 19234 L m−2 h−1, respectively. Also, the optimized MMMs showed stable 200 h of long-term separation performance. The results showed that adding hydrophobic ZIF-67 into the PVDF polymer matrix is an effective process for enhancing the toluene separation efficiency from the aqueous mixtures.

Nearly Reversible Expansion and Shrinkage of Casein Microparticles Triggered by Extreme pH Changes.

Solvent flows in the fL/s range across the total surface of a casein microparticle cause its expansion and shrinkage. Microparticles prepared from the milk protein casein have a porous and flexible inner structure with water-filled channels and cavities. Solvent uptake occurs in two phases and results in disintegration if de-swelling is not triggered by acidification. So far, nothing is known about the reversibility of the swelling/de-swelling steps. We performed pH jump experiments between pH 11 and pH 1 on a single micro-particle and analyzed the swelling-induced size changes with system dynamics modeling. Both the swelling steps and the subsequent de-swelling process proceed reversibly and at an unchanged rate over a sequence of at least three pH exchange cycles. We observed that the duration of the first swelling step increased during the sequence, while the second step became shorter. Both of the time intervals are negatively correlated, while a statistical evaluation of only one swelling cycle for an ensemble of microparticles with different stabilities did not reveal any significant correlation between the two parameters. Our results indicate that the pH-induced swelling/shrinkage of casein microparticles is, to a large extent, reversible and only slightly influenced by the acid-induced decomposition of colloidal calcium phosphate.

The Topology of Polymer Brushes Determines Their Nanoscale Hydration.

Time-of-flight neutron reflectometry (ToF-NR) performed under different relative humidity conditions demonstrates that polymer brushes constituted by hydrophilic, cyclic macromolecules exhibit a more compact conformation with lower roughness as compared to linear brush analogues, due to the absence of dangling chain ends extending at the polymer-vapor interface. In addition, cyclic brushes feature a larger swelling ratio and an increased solvent uptake with respect to their linear counterparts as a consequence of the increased interchain steric repulsions. It is proposed that differences in swelling ratios between linear and cyclic brushes come from differences in osmotic pressure experienced by each brush topology. These differences stem from entropic constraints. The findings suggest that to correlate the equilibrium swelling ratios at different relative humidity for different topologies a new form of the Flory-like expression for equilibrium thicknesses of grafted brushes is needed.

Microstructure–properties relationship in ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) nanocomposites

AbstractStructure–properties relationship in complex rubber nanocomposites is a key for enlarging the performance window. Herein, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are added at variable content to ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) rubber blends compatibilized with maleic anhydride grafted HNTs to evaluate cure characteristics, along with microstructure, and mechanical and swelling behavior. The crosslinking rate increased by HNTs loading, but the scorch time decreased. Moreover, a 45% rise in tensile strength was observed for systems containing 10 wt% HNTs. SEM and TEM micrographs revealed a rough fracture surface with proper dispersion of HNT within EPDM/NBR. The modulus of EPDM/NBR/HNTs nanocomposites is theoretically estimated by modified Kolarik model, demonstrating a good agreement with experimental value. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) revealed a higher storage modulus up to 2.27 GPa with the introduction of HNTs into EPDM/NBR compound. Correspondingly, lower solvent uptake (decreased by 38%) is reported. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed higher thermal stability for highly-loaded systems.

Fabrication of Ordered Porous Polyimide Films Templated by (AB)m Type of Diblock Copolymer.

Ordered porous polyimide films were fabricated from (AB)m type of diblock copolymer polyimide-b-polystyrene (PI-b-PS). An increase in PS volume fraction (f VPS) is beneficial to decrease the relative dielectric constants and water contact angles of the obtained porous PI films: the relative dielectric constant decreases to 1.89 and water contact angle decreases to 43° when f VPS is 0.36, indicating porous PI films can be used as low-κ material and have good wettability. The solvent uptake of the porous PI films increases with increasing f VPS. A net-like morphology appears when f VPS reaches 0.36. The net-like porous PI film reaches equilibrium uptake of water within approximately 2.5 h, with a final equilibrium uptake ratio of 17.5%, and reaches equilibrium uptake of toluene within approximately 8 h, with a final equilibrium uptake ratio of 15.4%, displaying the highest and fastest solvent uptake compared with other microstructured porous PI films, which is ascribed to the specific characteristic of the interconnecting porous channels derived from the self-assembly of PI-b-PS with f VPS 0.36. Introducing thermally degradable segments to PI-based block copolymer is an effective method to prepare porous PI films and can enhance some of their properties.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Organic Solvents Confined in PIM-1 and P84 Polyimide Membranes

Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) has recently proved to be a promising separation process thanks to the development of membrane materials with suitable resistance toward organic solvents. Among those materials, P84 polyimide membranes are currently the most used in OSN while PIM-1 membranes have recently attracted attention due to their high permeance in apolar solvents and alcohols. Both P84 and PIM-1 membranes have nanosized free volumes, and their separation performance is finely connected to polymer/solvent interactions. Consequently, modeling OSN membranes at the molecular scale is highly desirable in order to rationalize experimental observations and gain a deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms ruling solvent and solute permeation. A prerequisite for understanding solvent transport through OSN membranes is therefore to characterize the membrane/solvent interactions at the molecular level. For that purpose, we carried out molecular simulations of three different solvents, acetone, methanol, and toluene in contact with P84 and PIM-1 membranes. The solvent uptake by both membranes was found to be correlated to the degree of confinement of the solvent, the polymer swelling ability and polymer/solvent interactions. The translational dynamics of the solvent molecules in the PIM-1 membrane was found to be correlated with the solvent viscosity due to the relatively large pores of this membrane. That was not the case with the P84 membrane, which has a much denser structure than the PIM-1 membrane and for which it was observed that the translational dynamics of the confined solvent molecules was directly correlated to the affinity between the P84 polymer and the solvent.

Evaluation of molecular transport mechanism and interfacial interactions in doped ferrite rubber composites

Nickel ferrites (NIFs) come under the class of soft ferrites or transformer ferrites, which are highly demanding in the electronics industry and possess usual low conductivity and ferromagnetic properties, which results in decreased eddy current losses, good electrochemical stability, catalytic action, and abundance in nature. We discuss the synthesis, characterization, and impact of synthesized NIF fillers on the mechanical and solvent transport characteristics of rubber composites. Doped ferrite composites made of natural rubber and nitrile rubber were cured at various temperatures, and the solvent swelling properties of composites containing differently doped NIFs were examined in aromatic solvents like toluene. Properties of both rubber composites were examined, including their morphology, solvent uptake, diffusion coefficient, transport mechanism, and thermal stability. Natural rubber composites found to have better swelling properties than that of nitrile rubber composites. The solvent uptake was reduced with increase in filler loading also, the increase in sorption temperature increases the swelling rate in both systems. Theoretical calculations and modelling clearly state that the diffusion mechanism is due to the polymer swelling as well as polymer relaxation.

Phosphorylcholine-Based Contact Lenses for Sustained Release of Resveratrol: Design, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Performances, and In Vivo Behavior.

Design of advanced contact lenses (CLs) demands materials that are safe and comfortable for the wearers and that preserve the normal eye microbiota, avoiding chronic inflammation and biofilm development. This work aimed to combine the natural antibiofouling phosphorylcholine and the antioxidant and prebiotic resveratrol as integral components of CLs that may have the additional performance of preventing oxidative-stress related eye diseases. Different from previous uses of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) as coating, we explored the feasibility of adding MPC at high proportions as a comonomer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-based hydrogels while still allowing for the loading of the hydrophobic resveratrol. Homogeneous distribution of MPC along the hydrogel depth (confirmed by Raman spectroscopy) notably increased solvent uptake and the proportion of free water while it decreased Young's modulus. Relevantly, MPC did not hinder the uptake of resveratrol by CLs (>10 mg/g), which indeed showed network/water partition coefficients of >100. Protocols for CLs sterilization and loading of resveratrol under aseptic conditions were implemented, and the effects of tear proteins on resveratrol release rate were investigated. CLs sustained resveratrol release for more than 24 h in vitro, and sorption of albumin onto the hydrogel, although attenuated by MPC, slowed down the release. The combination of MPC and resveratrol reduced P. aeruginosa and S. aureus growth as tested in a novel hydrogel disk-agar interface biofilm growth setup. The developed CLs showed excellent anti-inflammatory properties and biocompatibility in in ovo and rabbit tests and provided higher and more prolonged levels of resveratrol in tear fluid, which favored resveratrol biodistribution in anterior and posterior eye segments compared to eye drops. Correlations between the release profiles of resveratrol in vitro and in vivo were assessed. Relevantly, the CLs preserved the antioxidant properties of resveratrol during the entire 8 h of wearing. In sum, CLs prepared with high proportion in MPC may help address safety and comfort requirements while having drug releasing capabilities.

Novel Hydrophobic Polyvinyl-Alcohol Formaldehyde Sponges: Synthesis, Characterization, Fast and Effective Organic Solvent Uptake from Contaminated Soil Samples

In the present research work, PVFTX-100, PVFSDS, and PVFT-80 sponges were prepared using polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) with surfactants triton X-100/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/Tween 80, respectively, for the removal of organic solvents from polluted soil/water samples. All three obtained sponges were further made hydrophobic using dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS). The prepared sponges were characterized using different spectroscopic techniques and SEM analysis. The peaks obtained near 1050 cm-1 and 790 cm-1 were attributed to Si-O-C and alkyl side chain C-H stretching vibration that confirmed the formation of desired sponges. The SEM images showed the random roughness with a number of protrusions on sponge surfaces, which further played an important role in the absorption and retention of organic solvents molecules. The Sears method was chosen to calculate the surface area and pore volume of all the synthesized sponge samples. Among all three prepared sponges, the PVFTX-100 sponge showed a high pore volume and large surface area, with a maximum percentage absorption capacity of 96%, 91%, 89.9%, 85.6%, and 80 for chlorobenzene, toluene, diesel, petrol, and hexane, respectively, after eightcycles. The organic solvent uptake using PVFTX-100, PVFSDS, and PVFT-80 sponges is quite a unique and simple technology, which could be employed at a large scale for contaminated soil/water systems.

Solvent polarity impacts the sorption kinetics and tensile properties of carbon black filled elastomers

Room temperature sorption kinetics is conducted on semi-crystalline ethylene-co-butyl acrylate (EBA) polymer samples filled with different contents of carbon black (CB) in polar (ethanol) or non-polar (toluene) solvents. Equilibrium swelling data obtained by solvent uptake measurements are found to decrease as the CB content increases. This is due to the increase of the crosslink density and tortuosity inside the EBA/CB samples. The preferential area occupied by the solvent molecules in the samples is determined by analyzing the behavior of the wetting coefficient. Higher equilibrium uptake and faster solvent penetration are observed for toluene compared to the case of ethanol. Billmeyer's approach, that is phenomenologically sound and insightful while mathematically straightforward to implement, is applied where the specific parameters of this approach are determined from experiments. Subsequently, the transport mechanisms are discussed using the Peppas-Sahlin and Berens-Hopfenberg relaxation-diffusion models. A significant drop in the tensile properties is observed in the swollen samples compared to their dry counterparts. Furthermore, the sorption data and the mechanical response are found to be well correlated. Additionally, the stress-strain curves of the swollen and dry samples under large deformation are analyzed with the Haward-Thackray model by considering microstructure characteristics (CB content, strain hardening modulus, entanglement, cross-linking degree and polymer-solvent interaction).

Polystyrene-Based Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries

Lithium metal batteries are one of the more promising replacements for lithium-ion batteries owing to their ability to reach high energy densities. The main problem limiting their commercial application is the formation of dendrites, which significantly reduces their durability and renders the batteries unsafe. In the present work, we used a single-ion conducting gel polymer electrolyte based on a poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) block copolymer, which was functionalized with benzenesulfonylimide anions and plasticized by a mixture of ethylene carbonate and dimethylacetamide (SSEBS-Ph-EC-DMA), with a solvent uptake of 160% (~12 solvent molecules per one functional group of the membrane). The SSEBS-Ph-EC-DMA electrolyte exhibits an ionic conductivity of 0.6 mSm∙cm−1 at 25 °C and appears to be a cationic conductor (TLi+ = 0.72). SSEBS-Ph-EC-DMA is electrochemically stable up to 4.1 V. Symmetrical Li|Li cells; further, with regard to SSEBS-Ph-EC-DMA membrane electrolytes, it showed a good performance (~0.10 V at first cycles and <0.23 V after 700 h of cycling at ±0.1 mA∙cm−2 and ±0.05 mAh∙cm−2). The LiFePO4|SSEBS-Ph-EC-DMA|Li battery showed discharge capacity values of 100 mAh∙g−1 and a 100% Coulomb efficiency, at a cycling rate of 0.1C.

Ceramic-in-Polymer Hybrid Electrolytes with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance.

Polymer electrolytes are attractive candidates to boost the application of rechargeable lithium metal batteries. Single-ion conducting polymers may reduce polarization and lithium dendrite growth, though these materials could be mechanically overly rigid, thus requiring ion mobilizers such as organic solvents to foster transport of Li ions. An inhomogeneous mobilizer distribution and occurrence of preferential Li transport pathways eventually yield favored spots for Li plating, thereby imposing additional mechanical stress and even premature cell short circuits. In this work, we explored ceramic-in-polymer hybrid electrolytes consisting of polymer blends of single-ion conducting polymer and PVdF-HFP, including EC/PC as swelling agents and silane-functionalized LATP particles. The hybrid electrolyte features an oxide-rich layer that notably stabilizes the interphase toward Li metal, enabling single-side lithium deposition for over 700 h at a current density of 0.1 mA cm-2. The incorporated oxide particles significantly reduce the natural solvent uptake from 140 to 38 wt % despite maintaining reasonably high ionic conductivities. Its electrochemical performance was evaluated in LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NMC622)||Li metal cells, exhibiting impressive capacity retention over 300 cycles. Notably, very thin LiNbO3 coating of the cathode material further boosts the cycling stability, resulting in an overall capacity retention of 78% over more than 600 cycles, clearly highlighting the potential of hybrid electrolyte concepts.

Selective and Reversible Solvent Uptake in Tetra-4-(4-pyridyl)phenylmethane-based Supramolecular Organic Frameworks.

The dynamic behavior of supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) based on the rigid tetra-4-(4-pyridyl)phenylmethane (TPPM) organic tecton has been elucidated through 3D electron diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The SOF undergoes a reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation when exposed to vapours of selected organic solvents, moving from a closed structure with isolated small voids to an expanded structure with solvated channels along the b axis. The observed selectivity is dictated by the fitting of the guest in the expanded SOF, following the degree of packing coefficient. The effect of solvent uptake on TPPM solid-state fluorescence was investigated, evidencing a significant variation in the emission profile only in the presence of chloroform.

Crosslinked polymethacrylate absorbent with phenylalanine and stearate pendants

Herein, we report a new class of oil absorbents via conventional free radical polymerization method to prepare polymethacrylate gels with a range of crosslinking density having both phenylalanine and stearate moieties in the gel matrix. Analogue crosslinked gel was also synthesized with only stearate pendants without phenylalanine. Solvent absorbing capacity of gels was studied in various solvents with different dielectric constants. The mechanical property and morphology of the absorbents were studied by rheological method and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Modulation of porosity, absorption capacity and mechanical property of the absorbent were achieved with the variation of crosslinking density. The side chain pendants in the absorbent played an important role toward the solvent uptake capabilities. The absorbent readily can uptake 66 times chloroform and 14 times petrol of its dry weight at room temperature. Overall, the solvent uptake capacity of a new class of absorbents was well studied in this report.

Method for the Determination of Solvent Sorption of Polylactic Acid and the Effect of Essential Oils on the Sorption Properties

The investigation of the adsorption and diffusion properties of polylactic acid (PLA) is very important, because during the application of the polymer, interactions can occur between the polymer and its environment that can affect its properties and application. The aim of our work was to investigate a method for determining the solvent sorption capacity of PLA and to investigate how different additives, such as essential oils, affect the solvent sorption properties of the polymer. Experiments were carried out to explore the correlation between the solvent uptake of two different types of PLA granules and the solubility parameter of the selected 5 essential oils (Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Foeniculum vulgare, Majorana hortensi, Thymus vulgaris) for 3 solvents. It was observed, that application of essential oils was changed the solvent uptake of the granules differently. While one granule solvent uptake decreased on average by 2–3 wt.%, the other increased by a similar amount. The difference of sorption capacity of pure and essential oil containing solvent were between 20–190%. The specific essential oil uptake was highest in solutions with a concentration of 2.00 mg/mL, about 2.00 mg EO/g PLA. In alcoholic solutions we observed a relation between the solvent uptake of PLA and the solubility parameter of the relevant essential oil.