Development of an in-cell SPME method to determine the chemical resistance of polymeric membranes to permeation by organic solvents

A stainless steel cell with an in-cell solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling device is proposed to investigate the permeation of dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, and benzene through a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane. The advantage of using SPME as a direct sampling device in the collection chamber is that it is a simple and sensitive means to monitor the concentrations of organic compounds in the collection medium for a closed-loop test system. Compared with the permeation results for an ASTM F739 cell, the standardized breakthrough times were shorter and the permeability coefficients were greater using the alternative cell. Although the optimum SPME sampling parameters should be obtained in advance, the in-cell SPME method can be an appropriate approach to determine the resistance of polymeric membranes to permeation by organic solvents.