Experimental and simulation studies on molecular transport of substituted monocyclic aromatic liquids into fluoropolymer sheet membranes: Liquid structure–diffusion, –sorption,and –permeation relationships

The present study reports an investigation on the molecular transport of 10 monocyclic aromatic liquids (benzene, chlorobenzene, 1,2‐dichlorobenzene, bromobenzene, toluene, p‐xylene, trimethylbenzene, ethylbenzene, methoxybenzene, and ethoxybenzene) at 40 and 50°C through sheet polymeric membranes (FLS‐2650) using a sorption gravimetric technique. Diffusion and permeation coefficients of these liquids were calculated from the sorption data using Fick's diffusion equation. Sorption results were analyzed typically in the case of benzene and chlorobenzene to compute the concentration profiles at different depths along the thickness direction of the sheet membranes and at different time intervals by solving the Fick's equation under appropriate boundary conditions, based on the numerical simulation method developed in “C” language using a finite‐difference method. Transport results were analyzed to establish the relationships between the penetrating liquid structures with diffusion, permeation, and sorption data. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 991–996, 2004