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The mechanism of liquid transport through swollen polymer membranes
Author(s) -
Paul D. R.,
EbraLima O. M.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1971.070150912
Subject(s) - membrane , permeation , pervaporation , diffusion , polymer , reverse osmosis , osmotic pressure , flux (metallurgy) , chemical engineering , materials science , polymer chemistry , synthetic membrane , concentration gradient , osmosis , chemistry , thermodynamics , chromatography , organic chemistry , composite material , physics , biochemistry , engineering
The pressure‐driven transport of liquids employed in reverse osmosis has been shown to occur by a solution‐diffusion mechanism in highly swollen polymer membranes. A theory based on this mechanism was successfully used earlier to correlate permeation fluxes for such membranes. Positive confirmation of this theory is provided here by direct measurement of the proposed concentration gradient. A study of the temperature dependence of the liquid diffusion coefficient in the polymer membrane has provided additional evidence of a hydrodynamic regime of diffusion in highly swollen membranes. It is also shown that the proposed ceiling flux in reverse osmosis is equal to the pervaporation flux.