Permeability in Relation to Viscosity and Structure of Rubber

Abstract

Abstract Some properties of flow of solutes in and through rubbers are outlined. These properties indicate that, due to fluctuations of thermal energy, activated zones exist in certain polymers, of which viscous flow and diffusion are a consequence. A simple statistics of activated zones has been given, and from it equations are obtained for ΣN, D, Ds, and η, denoting respectively the total number of activated zones in rubber, the diffusion constant of simple solutes in the polymer, the self-diffusion constant of rubber, and its viscosity. Functional relations are predicted between log Do, log ηo, or ΔS* (the entropy of activation) and the Arrhenius energy of activation for diffusion or viscous flow. The available data clearly demonstrate this relationship. They also indicate no discontinuity between rubbers and liquids as diffusion media.