Sorption and diffusion of moisture in silica-polyacrylamide nanocomposite films

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been demonstrated in recent years to simultaneously enhance polymeric nanocomposite membrane selectivity and permeability according to the polymer/NP/penetrant. With a repulsive polymer-NP interaction, permselectivity is enhanced by NP loading, which is thought to adjust the permeability by locally disturbing polymer conformation. In this paper, we examine another mechanism for controlling nanocomposite permeability. We focus on the interfacial sorption capacity and mobility of water-vapour through nanocomposites comprising spherical silica NPs embedded in cross-linked polyacrylamide. Equilibrium and dynamic moisture sorption data are interpreted with a quantitative theoretical model that addresses equilibrium and dynamic partitioning of the tracer between interfacial and continuous phases. The results demonstrate significant and systematic changes in non-classical diffusion behaviour. Our interpretation indicates that polyacryamide adsorption on silica NPs varies the number of available surface adsorption sites, thus controlling adsorption capacity and interfacial mobility. Such effects can therefore be tuned by varying the specific NP surface area, which increases with NP loading and decreases with NP size. These insights will hopefully improve rational design strategies for nanocomposite membranes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.