Solubility of carbon dioxide in polymers by the quartz crystal microbalance technique

The use of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has been demonstrated to be an accurate and relatively easy technique to measure gas solubility in polymers at high pressures. The technique is reversible and could be used for real-time monitoring of a process. We have compared solubility measurements of CO2 into numerous polymers with literature data, obtained from measurements using a gravimentric approach, with good agreement. With improved electronic sensitivity, this technique could be extended to measure the partitioning of a component present at low levels of CO2 into polymers. This would provide a direct measurement technique that would provide value to investigations into the use of CO2 as an agent to infuse chemicals into polymers. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.