Positronium as a probe of sorption states of vapor molecules in polymers

Positron lifetime measurements were performed for two different polymers (low density polyethylene and a polyimide 6FDA-TMPD) during sorption of various vapors (n-hexane, cyclohexane, benzene, acrylic acid, methyl acrylate). The vapor sorption affected the long-lived component (ortho-positronium component) in a systematic way regardless of the kind of vapor, i.e. for the polyethylene both the lifetime and the intensity of the long-lived component were enhanced, while for the polyimide they were decreased significantly. These different effects are interpreted in terms of the different aggregation states, i.e. rubbery for the polyethylene and glassy for the polyimide.