Relation of gas-transport parameters of amorphous glassy polymers to their free volume: Positron annihilation study

Correlations of transport parameters (diffusion coefficients D and permeabilities P of gases) and thermodynamic parameters (solubility coefficients S and parameters C′ _H of sorption isotherms) with the sizes of free-volume elements, v _h, as estimated via positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy are analyzed for the first time on the basis of the data array obtained for glassy polymers. Correlations of logD and logP with 1/v _h that agree with the free-volume model under the condition of a weak change in the concentration of free-volume elements in different polymers are ascertained. Certain deviations from linear correlations with 1/v _h for polymers with high free volumes are interpreted as evidence that the connectivity (openness) of pores increases with the sizes of free-volume elements. For solubility coefficients and Langmuir parameters of sorption capacity C′ _H , good linear correlations with the value of v _h are demonstrated.