Effects of Membrane Swelling: An Overview

摘要

A swollen polymeric membrane results from the slow diffusion of solvents into polymer chains, which generates a swelling phenomenon. In this instance, the full disintegration of the membrane is avoided and the growth of the polymer network is encouraged because polymer interactions prevail over polymersolvent forces. Swelling of dense polymeric membranes exposed to liquid mixes can be produced by using an optical technique designed for analysing the process of polymer swelling with highly repeatable results. This method was used to examine how various polymeric membranes swell, including proton conducting polymers and non-charged hydrophobic polymers like polyurethane-polybutadiene elastomer, polydimethylsiloxane, and polyvinylidene fluoride membranes.