Diffusion of Water in Sulfonated Polystyrene Ionomers

Robert Weiss, The University of Akron

Abstract

Using gravimetry, we have studied the diffusion of water into sulfonated polystyrene ionomers . Diffusion coefficients were calculated from Fick’s equation. The water sorption was found to be dependent on the ion content (3.6–11 mol%) and the nature of the cation (H, Na, Li, or Zn). The sorption kinetics indicates a slight deviation from Fickian behavior. We used the analytical solution of Fick’s equation to evaluate the concentration profiles, which are in good agreement with the experimental results