Effect of Temperature and Humidity on the Water and Dioxygen Transport Properties of Polybutylene Succinate/Graphene Nanoplatelets Nanocomposite Films

Nanocomposite films of polybutylene succinate (PBS)/graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) with a GnP content ranging from 0 to 1.35 wt.% were prepared by melt processing. The morphology of both the neat PBS and PBS/GnP nanocomposites were investigated and revealed no significant impact of GnP on the crystalline microstructure. Moisture sorption at 10 °C, 25 °C, and 40 °C were analyzed and modeled using the Guggenheim, Andersen, and De Boer (GAB) equation and Zimm-Lundberg theory, allowing for a phenomenological analysis at the molecular scale. An understanding of the transport sorption properties was proposed by the determination of the molar heat of sorption (ΔH(s)), and the activation energy of the diffusion (E(d)) of water in the matrix since both solubility and diffusion are thermo-activable properties. Both ΔH(s) and E(d) showed a good correlation with the water clustering theory at high water activity. Water and dioxygen permeabilities ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) were determined as a function of temperature and water activity. [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] decreased with the addition of a small amount of GnP, regardless of the studied temperature. Moreover, the evolution of [Formula: see text] as a function of water activity was driven by the solubility process, whereas at a given water activity, [Formula: see text] was driven by the diffusion process. Activation energies of the permeability (E(p)) of water and dioxygen showed a dependency on the nature of the permeant molecule. Finally, from the ΔH(s), E(d), and E(p) obtained values, the reduction in water permeability with the addition of a low content of GnP was attributed mainly to a tortuosity effect without diffusive interfaces rather than a significant change in the transport property mechanism.