Oxygen and water vapour permeability are two important characteristics of polymer films. They are regularly tested. Alternative testing methods help to make their determination more efficient. Two alternative methods are presented. Oxygen sensors based on dynamic quenching of luminescence by molecular oxygen are increasingly applied to measure oxygen permeability. The development progressed in recent years resulting in more sensitive sensors. They are suitable to measure the oxygen permeability of films in the range of 0.05 to 2000 cm~3·(m~2·d·bar)~(-1). Simple water vapour sorption experiments were applied to measure water vapour diffusion coefficients and sorption coefficients of polymers. The product of both is the water vapour permeation coefficient. The calculated values are approximations. The results of both 'alternative' methods are compared with standard methods. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed.
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