Determining permeability and diffusion rates in polymer films and packaging materials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Accurate measurement of diffusion and permeability constants is crucial for material selection in packaging.
• Advanced packaging design requires reliable data on material interactions with various vapours.
• Assessing the shelf-life of packaged goods depends on understanding vapour transport through packaging materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a rapid and effective method for calculating diffusion and permeability constants.
• To provide fundamental data for thin polymer films.
• To enable rapid screening of composite films for packaging applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a sealed diffusion-cell method.
• Employed a high-performance DVS-1 gravimetric analysis system.
• Applied the combined method to a range of polymer films and packaging materials with various vapours.

Main Results:

• The described method provides rapid and effective calculation of diffusion and permeability constants.
• Fundamental data for thin films was successfully obtained.
• Composite films were rapidly screened, demonstrating the method's utility.

Conclusions:

• The sealed diffusion-cell method coupled with DVS-1 analysis is a powerful tool for material characterization.
• This approach aids in the design of advanced packaging systems.
• The method is valuable for calculating the potential shelf-life of packaged devices.