Reverse-selective diffusion in nanocomposite membranes

Details Reverse-selective diffusion in nanocomposite membranes Reverse-selective diffusion in nanocomposite membranes

2005-10-27

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0510746v1

Phys. Rev. Lett. 2006 (96) 216001

Physics

Condensed Matter

Materials Science

Scientific paper

10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.216001

The permeability of certain polymer membranes with impenetrable nanoinclusions increases with the particle volume fraction (Merkel et al., Science, 296, 2002). This intriguing observation contradicts even qualitative expectations based on Maxwell's classical theory of conduction/diffusion in composites with homogeneous phases. This letter presents a simple theoretical interpretation based on classical models of diffusion and polymer physics. An essential feature of the theory is a polymer-segment depletion layer at the inclusion-polymer interface. The accompanying increase in free volume leads to a significant increase in the local penetrant diffusivity, which, in turn, increases the bulk permeability while exhibiting reverse selectivity. This model captures the observed dependence of the bulk permeability on the inclusion size and volume fraction, providing a straightforward connection between membrane microstructure and performance.

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