Hydraulic permeation of liquids through swollen polymeric networks. I. Poly(vinyl alcohol)–water

Poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes were prepared by crosslinking with terephthalaldehyde. Hydraulic permeation of water through this network structure was measured as a function of pressure for temperatures ranging from 18° to 35.8°C. The data were analyzed via a previously developed solution–diffusion theory for hydraulic permeation to give mutual diffusion coefficients. The activation energy for diffusion was found to be 6.5 kcal/mole which compared to the value of 4.3 kcal/mole for viscous flow of water indicates an influence of polymer–liquid interaction on the energetics of the diffusion process.