Effect of crystallinity on gas permeation in miscible polycarbonate–copolyester blends

Abstract

Permeation rates of helium, methane, and carbon dioxide in miscible blends of polycarbonate and a copolyester were measured at 35°C. The permeabilities for semicrystalline blends having copolyester cyrstallinity induced by annealing were compared to fully amorphous blends. Crystallinity caused a slightly greater impedance to carbon dioxide transport than it did for helium or methane. The relative rates of permeation of one gas compared to another, an issue important for membrane separations, varied greatly with blend composition; however, the effect of crystallinity was not large.