Measurement of CO2 solubility and diffusivity in poly(l-lactide) and poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) by magnetic suspension balance

Two-Dimensional Nanoporous Cross-linked Polymer Networks as Emerging Candidates for Gas Adsorption

This paper illustrates the gas adsorption properties of newly synthesized nanoporous cross-linked polymer networks (CPNs). All synthesized CPNs possess N-rich functional groups and are used for the utilization of carbon dioxide and methane. Good gas adsorption and selectivities are obtained for all of the samples. Among the materials, HEREON2 outperforms better selectivity for methane separation from nitrogen rather than zeolites, activated carbons, molecular sieves, covalent organic frameworks, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The accessibility of the N-rich functionalities makes these materials potential candidates for the separation of hydrocarbons via increased polarizabilities. High-pressure adsorption experiments showed that the synthesized two-dimensional nanoporous materials also have a high affinity toward carbon dioxide. HEREON2 powders showed an increased experimental CO2/N2 selectivity of ∼25,000 at 50 bar due to the presence of nitrogen groups in the structure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid-state NMR, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied for the characterization of the synthesized nanoporous CPNs. The results show a potential new pathway for future CPN membrane development.

Review of Developed Methods for Measuring Gas Uptake and Diffusivity in Polymers Enriched by Pure Gas under High Pressure

Gas emission and diffusion through polymeric materials play crucial roles in ensuring safety and monitoring gas concentrations in technology and industry. Especially, the gas permeation characteristics for O-ring material should be investigated for sealing application in a hydrogen infrastructure. To accommodate the requirements of different environments, we first developed four complementary effective methods for measuring the gas absorption uptake from polymers enriched by pure gas under high pressure and determining the gas diffusivity. The methods included the gravimetric method, the volumetric method, the manometric method, and gas chromatography, which are based on mass, volume, pressure, and volume measurements, respectively. The representative investigated results of the developed methods, such as gas uptake, solubility, and diffusivity are demonstrated. The measuring principles, measuring procedures, measured results, and the characteristics of the methods are compared. Finally, the developed methods can be utilized for testing transport properties, such as the leakage and sealing ability, of rubber and O-ring material under high pressure for hydrogen fueling stations and gas industry.

Experimental solubility of aripiprazole in supercritical carbon dioxide and modeling

The solubility of compounds in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-[Formula: see text]) has found crucial significance in the fabrication of micro/nano-scaled drugs. In this research, the solubility of Aripiprazole was measured in SC-[Formula: see text] at various temperatures (308-338 K) and pressures (12-30 MPa). Moreover, the experimental solubility results were correlated with several semi-empirical models (Chrastil, Bartle et al., Kumar & Johnston, Menden-Santiago & Teja, Sodeifian et al., and Jouyban et al.) as well as the modified Wilson model. The molar fraction of the drug in SC-[Formula: see text] varied in the range of [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. The solubility highly depended on the operating pressure and temperature. The Chrastil (0.994), Jouyban et al. (0.993) and Sodeifian et al. (0.992) models showed the highest consistency with the obtained values. Furthermore, self-consistency tests were performed on the solubility of Aripiprazole in SC-[Formula: see text]. The approximate total enthalpy ([Formula: see text]), vaporization enthalpy ([Formula: see text]), and solubility enthalpy ([Formula: see text]) were also calculated.

Characterization technique of gases permeation properties in polymers: H2, He, N2 and Ar gas

We demonstrate a simple experimental technology for characterizing the gas permeation properties of H₂, He, N₂ and Ar absorbed in polymers. This is based on the volumetric measurement of released gas and an upgraded diffusion analysis program after high-pressure exposure. Three channel measurements of sorption content of gases emitted from polymers after decompression are simultaneously conducted, and then, the gas uptake/diffusivity as a function of exposed pressure are determined in nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubbers, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which are used for gas sealing materials under high pressure. The pressure-dependent gas transport behaviors of the four gases are presented and compared. Gas sorption follows Henry’s law up to 9 MPa, while pressure-dependent diffusion behavior is not observed below 6 MPa. The magnitude of the diffusivity of the four gases decreases in the order D_He > D_H2 > D_Ar > D_N2 in all polymers, closely related to the kinetic diameter of the gas molecules. The dependence of gas species on solubility is in contrast to that on diffusivity. The linear correlation between logarithmic solubility and critical temperature of the gas molecule was newly observed.

Foaming with scCO2 and Impregnation with Cinnamaldehyde of PLA Nanocomposites for Food Packaging

Microcellular nanocomposite foams functionalized with cinnamaldehyde (Ci) were obtained through two-step supercritical foaming and impregnation processing. PLA nanocomposite foams with different C30B concentrations (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) were obtained by foaming with scCO2 at 25 MPa and 135 °C and impregnated with Ci at 12 MPa and 40 °C. The effect of the C30B content and Ci incorporation on the morphological, structural, thermal, and release properties of the developed foams were investigated. The incorporation of Ci was not influenced by C30B’s addition. The presence of C30B and Ci incorporation reduced the average pore diameter slightly and the crystallinity degree of the foams extensively. Simultaneously, the experimental and theoretical characterization of the Ci release from the PLA nanocomposite foams in EtOH 50% was analyzed. The mechanism of Ci release from the foams was defined as a quasi-Fickian diffusion process that could be successfully described using the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. The active PLA foams presented a higher potential of migration and faster release when compared with that reported in commonly used PLA films, showing that biopolymeric foams could be potentially used as active food packaging to improve the migration of active compounds with low migration potentials in order to improve their biological activity in foods.

Determination of Gas Permeation Properties in Polymer Using Capacitive Electrode Sensors

The objective of this work was to develop an effective technique for characterizing the permeation properties of various gases, including H₂, He, N₂, and Ar, that are absorbed in polymers. Simultaneous three-channel real-time techniques for measuring the sorption content and diffusivity of gases emitted from polymers are developed after exposure to high pressure and the subsequent decompression of the corresponding gas. These techniques are based on the volumetric measurement of released gas combined with the capacitance measurement of the water content by both semi-cylindrical and coaxial-cylindrical electrodes. This minimizes the uncertainty due to the varying temperature and pressure of laboratory environments. The gas uptake and diffusivity are determined as a function of the exposed pressure and gas spices in nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) polymers. The pressure-dependent gas transport behaviors of four different gases are presented and compared with those obtained by different techniques. A linear correlation between the logarithmic diffusivity and kinetic diameter of molecules in the gas is found between the two polymers.

A double-population chaotic self-adaptive evolutionary dynamics model for the prediction of supercritical carbon dioxide solubility in polymers

Solubility of gas in polymers is an important physico-chemical property of foam materials and widely used in the preparation and modification of new materials. Under the conditions of high temperature and high pressure, the dissolution process is a nonlinear, non-equilibrium and dynamic process, so it is difficult to establish an accurate solubility calculation model. Inspired by particle dynamics and evolutionary algorithm, this paper proposes a hybrid model based on chaotic self-adaptive particle dynamics evolutionary algorithm (CSA-PD-EA), which can use the iterative process of particles in evolutionary algorithms at the dynamic level to simulate the mutual diffusion process of molecules during dissolution. The predicted solubility of supercritical CO₂ in poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide), poly(l-lactide) and poly(vinyl acetate) indicated that the comprehensive prediction performance of the CSA-PD-EA model was high. The calculation error and correlation coefficient were, respectively, 0.3842 and 0.9187. The CSA-PD-EA model showed prominent advantages in accuracy, efficiency and correlation over other computational models, and its calculation time was 4.144-15.012% of that of other dynamic models. The CSA-PD-EA model has wide application prospects in the computation of physical and chemical properties and can provide the basis for the theoretical calculation of multi-scale complex systems in chemistry, materials, biology and physics.

Solute Diffusion into Polymer Swollen by Supercritical CO2 by High-Pressure Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Chromatography

High-pressure electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to measure translational diffusion coefficients (D_tr) of a TEMPONE spin probe in poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) and swollen in supercritical CO₂. D_tr was measured on two scales: macroscopic scale (>1 μm), by measuring spin probe uptake by the sample; and microscopic scale (<10 nm), by using concentration-dependent spectrum broadening. Both methods yield similar translational diffusion coefficients (in the range 5-10 × 10^-12 m²/s at 40-60 °C and 8-10 MPa). Swollen PDLLA was found to be homogeneous on the nanometer scale, although the TEMPONE spin probe in the polymer exhibited higher rotational mobility (τ_corr = 6 × 10^-11 s) than expected, based on its D_tr. To measure distribution coefficients of the solute between the swollen polymer and the supercritical medium, supercritical chromatography with sampling directly from the high-pressure vessel was used. A distinct difference between powder and bulk polymer samples was only observed at the start of the impregnation process.

Determination of permeation properties of hydrogen gas in sealing rubbers using thermal desorption analysis gas chromatography

Permeation properties of hydrogen gas (H₂) into nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), and fluoroelastomer (FKM) which are the strong candidates for sealing material in H₂ energy infrastructures, was quantified using a thermal desorption analysis gas chromatography (TDA GC) and a self-developed diffusion-analysis program. The samples were charged with H₂ in a high-pressure chamber for 24 h then decompressed into atmosphere, and the mass of H₂ released from the sample was measured as a function of elapsed time after decompression. The developed program calculated the total charging amount C₀ and diffusivity D, which were then used to calculate the H₂ solubility S and permeability P for variation of pressure. The samples were polymerized with and without carbon black (CB) filler in cylindrical shapes with different diameters. There was no appreciable pressure up to 12 MPa or diameter dependence investigated in this study on D, S and P. NBR and EPDM showed dual hydrogen diffusion with fast and slow diffusion behaviors caused by CB, whereas FKM showed a single diffusion behavior. The determined D are D_{fast, NBR} = (1.55 ± 0.28) × 10^–10 m²/s, D_{slow, NBR} = (3.1 ± 0.5) × 10^–11 m²/s, D_{fast, EPDM} = (3.65 ± 0.66) × 10^–10 m²/s, D_{slow, EPDM} = (3.3 ± 0.5) × 10^–11 m²/s, D_FKM = (7.7 ± 0.8) × 10^–11 m²/s. It appeared that the filler contributes to increase S and decrease D. The uncertainty analysis against the evaluated data was carried out, too, in order that the method could be applicable as a standard test for the permeation properties of various polymer membranes.

Supercritical Impregnation of Ketoprofen into Polylactic Acid for Biomedical Application: Analysis and Modeling of the Release Kinetic

Ketoprofen (KET) is an anti-inflammatory drug often used in medicine due to its analgesic and antipyretic effects. If it is administered in a controlled form by means of different dosing devices, it acts throughout the patient’s recovery period improving its efficacy. This study intends to support the use of supercritical solvent impregnation (SSI) as an efficient technique to develop polylactic acid (PLA) functionalized with ketoprofen, for use as controlled drug release devices. For this purpose, firstly, the influence of different SSI variables on the desirable swelling of the polymer structure, while avoiding their foaming, were evaluated. Then, the resulting ketoprofen loading was evaluated under different pressure/temperature conditions. It was generally found that as pressure and temperature are higher, the drug impregnation loads also increase. The maximum impregnation loads (at about 9% KET/PLA) were obtained at 200 bar and 75 °C. In vitro drug release tests of the impregnated compound were also carried out, and it was found that drug release profiles were also dependent on the specific pressure and temperature conditions used for the impregnation of each polymer filament.

Experimental study on the dissolution of supercritical CO2 in PS under different agitators

In the continuous molding of microporous plastics, the polymer/CO2 homogeneous body needs to be formed in a very short time, which affects the subsequent bubble nucleation, bubble pore distribution, and growth, and is the key to the molding. It is known that the formation time of homogeneous body is shortened during the continuous molding of microporous plastics because of the agitator’s effect. However, different agitators have different effects on the dissolution rate. So, it is necessary to study not only the dissolution of gas in polymer melt under static condition but also the dissolution under the action of the agitator. In this article, the solubility and dissolution rate of supercritical CO2 in polymer melt PS at different temperatures and pressures were experimentally investigated under conical and screw agitators, and the numerical solution was also carried out.

Study on the Dissolution and Diffusion of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide in Polystyrene Melts Based on Adsorption and Diffusion Mechanism

In order to reveal the dissolution process, the adsorption kinetics and diffusion theory are combined and used to describe the adsorption-diffusion mechanism. This can not only predict the solubility of supercritical CO₂ in polymer melts but also describe two important parameters of supercritical CO₂ in the dissolution process: dissolution amount and dissolution rate, which can provide a good theoretical basis for microcellular foaming. To verify the feasibility and accuracy of the theoretical calculation method, an experimental device for the volume-changing method under static condition was established. The results showed that the theoretical calculation value was in good agreement with the experimental value. In addition, the dissolution amount and dissolution rate of supercritical CO₂ in three polystyrene melts with different molecular weights under different temperature and pressure conditions were measured. The results showed that the difference of polystyrene molecular weight can cause the change of dissolution rate during the dissolution process, that is, the larger the molecular weight, the slower the dissolution rate.

Solubility and diffusion coefficient of supercritical CO2 in polystyrene dynamic melt

The solubility and diffusion coefficient of supercritical CO2 in polystyrene (PS) dynamic melt were studied by using a new constant pressure experimental device. By comparing the experimental results with those of other researchers, the validity of the experimental device and the reliability of the calculated results are verified. The solubility and diffusion coefficient of supercritical CO2 in polystyrene dynamic melts at different temperatures and pressures were obtained. The numerical calculation method, dissolution process, and experimental results are analyzed and compared with that of the static melt. Finally, the effects of stirring speed, pressure, and temperature fluctuation on the solubility and diffusion coefficient are also analyzed.

Effect of silica nanoparticles on the impregnation process, foaming dynamics and cell microstructure of styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer/n-pentane foams

In the present study, two-step foaming procedure with a designed in-situ foaming observation apparatus was used to study the foaming dynamics of styrene-methyl methacrylate (St-MMA) copolymer/nanosilica composites. For this purpose, the St-MMA copolymer was synthesized using suspension copolymerization and its nanocomposites were prepared using solution method. The foaming dynamics was studied through temperature-induced (two-step batch foaming) method. Furthermore, the effects of content, size and surface chemistry of silica nanoparticles on the impregnation process, the foaming dynamics and the final morphology of prepared foams were investigated. The impregnation data showed that the presence of silica nanoparticles in matrix prolonged the impregnation and decreased diffusion coefficient. This effect would be clearer where nanoparticle contents are high and the temperature is quite above Tg. The foaming dynamics results illustrated that the nucleation and foaming rate were enhanced with the nanoparticle addition and its size reduction. At the St-MMA copolymer foaming system, the silica nanoparticles with hydrophilic surface chemistry are more efficient in comparison to hydrophobic nanoparticles where all foaming dynamics and the final microstructure parameters were improved.

Experimental and Simulation Study on the Dissolved Amount and Dissolution Rate of Supercritical CO2 in Polystyrene Melt

The amount of supercritical CO₂ dissolved in polystyrene (PS), dissolution rate, and solubility under static conditions at 170-190 °C and 7.5-9.5 MPa were calculated by utilizing volume-changing-method experiments and numerical simulations. By comparison, the instantaneous error can be guaranteed to be less than 15%. The two results are in good agreement, and the reliability of the simulation method is verified. Based on the obtained results, another parameter was added to the tested model, and the dissolution rate of supercritical CO₂ in PS under different shear conditions was numerically simulated. The effects of temperature, pressure, and shear rate on dissolution were analyzed. The results show that when the temperature and pressure are constant, the dissolution rate of supercritical CO₂ in PS with shear increases significantly compared with that without shear. The conditions that enable the maximum dissolution rate are 190 °C, 9.5 MPa, and a shear rate of 240/π. With the abovementioned pressure and shear rate conditions, the maximum solubility can be obtained under the temperature of 170 °C.

Supercritical CO2 - assisted production of PLA and PLGA foams for controlled thymol release

Amorphous, medical grade poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) were used to develop systems for controlled release of a natural bioactive substance - thymol. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) was successfully used both as an impregnation medium for thymol incorporation into the polymer matrix and a foaming agent in a single-step batch process. Impregnation of samples using low to moderate scCO₂ densities (273 kg/m³ and 630 kg/m³) and short processing times (2 h and 4 h) enabled thymol loading of 0.92%-6.62% and formation of microcellular foams upon system depressurization. Thymol effect on structural and thermal properties on foamed samples was proven by FTIR and DSC. The effect of CO₂ under elevated pressure on the neat polymers was analysed by high pressure DSC. Foaming of polymers with lower molecular weight by CO₂ of higher density yielded foams with smaller pores. All tested foams released thymol in a controlled manner in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 37 °C within 3 to 6 weeks. Higher loading and lower cell density favoured thymol release rate, while its concentration in PBS for the tested period depended on foam interaction with the medium. Representative PLGA foam sample with the highest thymol loading (6.62%) showed controlled thymol release within 72 h in mediums having pH values from 1.1 to 7.4.

Prediction of supercritical carbon dioxide solubility in polymers based on hybrid artificial intelligence method integrated with the diffusion theory

A solubility prediction model based on a hybrid artificial intelligence method integrated with diffusion theory is proposed.

Supercritical Fluids as a Tool for Green Energy and Chemicals

Hydrothermal conversion of biomass is a promising technology for the conversion of biomass into biofuels and biobased chemicals. This chapter is focused on the waste biomass conversion for production of biofuels and chemicals by applying sub- and supercritical fluids. One of the biggest disadvantages in biomass conversion by SCF is the extremely high energy requirement for heating the media above the water critical point (374 °C, 221 bar). The idea behind the recent research is to reduce the operating temperature and energy requirements by processing biomass with water at much higher pressures. The importance of knowledge on behavior of multicomponent systems at elevated pressures and temperatures is underlined. Methods, developed by the authors of this chapter for determination of thermodynamic and transport properties for multicomponent systems of different solid compounds and supercritical fluid under extreme conditions are described. Future perspective of hydrothermal technology as a tool to obtain advanced materials and the possible scope for future research is also discussed.

Solubility prediction of supercritical carbon dioxide in 10 polymers using radial basis function artificial neural network based on chaotic self-adaptive particle swarm optimization and K-harmonic means

Excellent prediction modeling of CO₂ solubility in polymers using hybrid computation algorithm.