Assessment of Molecular Transport OF Chloromethanes through EPDM/PVC Systems

A large group of engineering materials of steadily increasing importance in industrial applications is composed of natural and synthetic organic polymers. In recent years, significant progress has been made in many areas of polymer blend and polymer matrix composite science and technology. The examination of the interaction of aliphatic hydrocarbons with macromolecular systems is important for various industrial applications. The transport behavior of EPDM/PVC composites has been studied using the three halogenated hydrocarbons; methylene chloride, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, which are part of the homologous series of the chloromethanes, as probe molecules. Peroxide and sulfur were employed to crosslink the matrix. It was investigated how the crosslink density, penetrant type, and crosslinking system type affected the transport property. Among the chloromethane group, there is a peculiarity that can be observed: sorption increases with increasing molar volume or the amount of chlorine atoms, as would be expected from basic solubility parameter considerations. The mechanism of transport was found to be deviated slightly from Fickian trend. The differences in the equilibrium uptake can be explained on the basis of morphological changes.