| Abstract: | The fast transient fluorescence technique (FTRT) was used for studying the swelling and dissolution of a glassy polymer formed by free‐radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). Anthracene (An) was introduced during polymerization as a fluorescence probe to monitor swelling and dissolution. Swelling and dissolution processes of disc‐shaped poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) glasses in a chloroform–heptane mixture were monitored by measuring the fluorescence lifetimes of An from its decay traces. A method is developed for low quenching efficiencies for measuring lifetimes, τ, of An, and it was observed that τ values decreased as the dissolution process proceeded. Desorption, D, and mutual diffusion, Dm, coefficients of An molecules were measured during dissolution of PMMA and found to be around 5.4 × 10?6 (cm2/s) and 2.2 × 10?5 (cm2/s), respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 948–957, 1999 |
