DIFFUSION OF PHENOL IN POLYESTER FILMS

Abstract

The diffusion coefficient of phenol in polyester films was estimated at various concentrations and temperatures in order to elucidate a role of carriers in dyeing process of polymer. The diffusion coefficient of phenol in the amorphous region of polymer increased with increasing both concentration and temperature. This suggests that the sorbed phenol accelerates the segmental motion of the polymer chain.
At the same time, dynamic moduli of two kinds of films were measured in phenol solutions at various temperatures and the dynamic moduli in the amorphous region E_A' was calculated assuming the phenol was sorbed only in the amorphous region of polymer. Linear relationship was generally obtained between the E_A' and the diffusion coefficients in amorphous region D_A(c)in high concentration region of phenol. However, E_A' deviated slightly from linear relation in low concentration region, which was attributed to the internal fine structure of each sample.