1994 Volume 23 Issue 3 Pages 578-584
Intramembrane diffusivity and water permeability are essential for characterization of dialysis membranes. The physical state of water present in the membrane may affect the solute diffusivity because solutes diffuse into only a fraction of water in the membrane and water inside the membrane changes places with that outside the membrane. Water content was measured in 31 dialysis membranes made of 7 polymers. The physical state of water was determined from data on water content by the conventional method and the differential scanning calorimetry and on partition coefficient measured by the use of tritium-labeled water. Three kinds of water state of varying molecular mobilities were found in the membranes and their volume ratio was dependent on the membrane material. The mechanism of solute transport through hydrophilic dialysis membranes of regenerated cellulose that strongly put restrictions on the movement of water in the membrane was different from that through hydrophobic dialysis membranes. Analysis of the intramembrane diffusivity of the regenerated cellulose membrane based on the free volume theory revealed that the solute diffusivity was dependent on water content.
