The Mechanism of a Selective Permeation of Ions through “Solvent Polymeric Membranes”

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Abstract
The mechanism of diffusion of uranyl nitrate in “solvent polymeric membranes” was investigated. It is suggested that a “carrier” transport mechanism is responsible for the selective permeation of ions or ion pairs through such membranes. The fluidity of the membranes was investigated by proton magnetic resonance and by the “fluorescent probe” technique. Radioactive labeling was used in order to determine the self-diffusion coefficient of dicresylbutylphosphate (DCBP) which serves both as plasticizer and as complexing agent in such membranes. Comparison of its value (∼10−7 cm2/sec) with the limiting value of the diffusion coefficient of uranyl nitrate in such membranes (3.3 × 10−8 cm2/sec) indicates that the latter diffuses as a (DCBP)2UO2(NO3)2 complex. It is also suggested that the study of the “solvent polymeric membranes” may help to understand certain properties of biological membranes.