The influence of casting solvent composition on structure and permeability of acrylic-methacrylic ester copolymer films

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Abstract
Decrease in the solvation of polymer by inclusion of ethanol in the acetone casting solution resulted in greater permeability to urea of cast acrylate-methacrylate film. The greater permeability was accompanied particularly by a decrease in pore size and increase in pore number, despite the absence of change in pore area. A decrease in cohesiveness in the film was suggested by the decrease in tortuosity of the pores as seen by scanning electron microscopy; also, water uptake was increased when the film was cast from an ethanolic solution. The results support the view that, in practice, the composition of the solvent, by its effect on microstructure, can affect the function of the film cast from it.