Positron Annihilation Studies of the Free Volumes in Nylon12/PVA Films Treated by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Free volume variations of Nylon12/Polyvinyl alcohol (Nylon12/PVA) blends treated in supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO₂) were investigated using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. It is found that o-Ps lifetime τ₃ and the corresponding intensity I₃ in Nylon12/PVA decrease with increase of the PVA content. Being treated in ScCO₂ at 50°C and 20 MPa for 1 h, the free volume holes in Nylon12/PVA blends expand to different extents depending on the weight ratio of PVA. After releasing of CO₂, the free volume size decreases as a function of the elapsed time due to the molecular relaxation, and the relaxation time constant depends on the content of PVA in the blends.