Water sorption and diffusion in glassy polymers

Water sorption and diffusion in glassy polymers is important in many fields, including drug delivery, desalination, energy storage and delivery, and packaging. Accurately measuring and understanding the underlying transport mechanisms of water in these glassy polymers is often complex due to both the nonequilibrium state of the polymer and the self-associating nature of water (e.g., hydrogen bonding). In this work, water sorption and diffusion in a number of glassy polymers were measured using gravimetric and spectroscopic techniques, including quartz spring microbalance, quartz crystal microbalance, and in situ time-resolved Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy. Non-Fickian diffusion was observed in all polymers studied, indicated by an initial stage of water uptake, followed by a second stage of continuous, gradual uptake of water at later experimental times. These phenomena were attributed to diffusion driven by a concentration gradient, as well as diffusion driven by slow polymer relaxation resulting in additional water ingress over time. In order to gain additional insight into these phenomena, which are a product of nonequilibrium state of the polymers, diffusion-relaxation models were developed and employed to determine the time scales for both diffusion and polymer relaxation, where the ratio of these values (Deborah number) confirmed the observed non-Fickian water diffusion. In addition, the solubility of water in these polymers was predicted using two nonequilibrium thermodynamic models: the nonequilibrium lattice fluid (NELF) model and the nonequilibrium statistical associating fluid theory (NE-SAFT), where excellent agreement between the NE-SAFT predictions and experimental data was obtained over the entire water vapor activity range explored. Furthermore, the states of water were analyzed using the Zimm-Lundberg clustering theory, as well as in situ FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, where the latter technique provides a direct, molecular-level measurement of the states of water in the polymer through distinct infrared bands. Surprisingly, contrasting physical pictures of the states of water were observed between mathematical analysis and direct molecular measurements. The results of this work provide unique insights into the fundamental transport mechanisms of water in glassy polymers.