Measurement of oxygen transport parameters in polymer films initially saturated with air

The solubilities and diffusion cofficients of gases in polymer films can be determined from dynamic transport experiments. In the standard approach, a film initially free of the permeant of interest must be used. A new variation on the standard approach is presented for determining the transport parameters of oxygen from a transient experiment. The initial condition in the film is the normal oxygen saturation pressure (0.21 atm) and the applied oxygen pressure on the high side is 1 atm. Whereas this technique is generally applicable, it is particularly convenient for oxygen transport experiments because films stored in air do not have to be degassed before starting the experiment.