Thermodynamic study on dynamic water vapor sorption in Sylgard-184.

TLDR: The results demonstrate that moisture is able to penetrate the material over a range of temperatures and humidities and quantitatively assesses how water vapor diffuses and ad/absorbs into polymeric materials that are traditionally considered hydrophobic.

Abstract: The dynamic and equilibrium water vapor sorption properties of Sylgard-184, a commercially available poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomer (PDMS), were determined via gravimetric analysis from 30 to 70 °C. Described here is a methodology for quantitatively assessing how water vapor diffuses and ad/absorbs into polymeric materials that are traditionally considered hydrophobic. PDMS materials are frequently chosen for their moisture barrier properties; our results, however, demonstrate that moisture is able to penetrate the material over a range of temperatures and humidities. The sorption values measured here ranged from ca. 0.1 to 1.4 cm3 (STP) H2O/g Sylgard. The isotherms exhibited sigmoidal character and were fit to a triple mode sorption model. Asymptotic behavior at low water activities was characterized using a Langmuir type adsorption model, linear behavior was fit to a Henry’s law type dependence, and the convex portion at higher activities was fit with good agreement to Park’s equation for pooling or c...