Solvent Diffusion in Amorphous Polymers: Polystyrene-Solvent Systems

Abstract

The inverse gas chromatography (IGC) technique was used to obtain the partition and diffusion coefficients of solvents in polystyrene over a wide range of temperatures. Infinite dilution experiments were performed with three solvents: toluene, benzene, and hexane. Finite concentration data were measured for the polystyrene-toluene system at various concentrations from 110 to 180 °C. For the finite concentration region, the modified capillary column model used by Tihminlioglu and Danner (J Chromatogr A 1999, 845, 93-101) was used to calculate diffusion and thermodynamic data. Finite concentration thermodynamic data were also calculated with the retention theory approach and compared with the capillary column model. The experimental IGC results are in good agreement with data from other experimental techniques.