Diffusion-limited hydrolysis in polymeric materials

Abstract

Polymer degradation under aggressive environmental stressors often develops heterogeneities due to diffusion-limited reaction phenomena. This is well established for diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO), which is known to occur for most polymeric materials at elevated temperatures but has been less summarized for the conditions of diffusion-limited hydrolysis (DLH). Here, an overview of hydrolysis for several materials and a computational model, analogous to the underlying equations for DLO, able to define this diffusion-reaction system is presented. A systematic study of the influence of various parameters, such as water diffusivity, reaction rate and order, and a more in-depth focus on residual isocyanate hydrolysis in a polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI) based polyurethane (PU) foam is given. For this system, we present experimental data for model ‘input’ parameters and discuss predictions for different conditions. We conceptually compare the behavior of diffusion-limited oxidation to that of diffusion-limited hydrolysis (DLH). With the mathematical framework and key material properties presented herein, any DLH phenomena following Fickian diffusion behavior can be understood, modeled, and predicted.