FN Archimer Export Format PT J TI Water clustering in polychloroprene BT AF LE GAC, Pierre-Yves ROUX, Gerard DAVIES, Peter FAYOLLE, Bruno VERDU, Jacques AS 1:1;2:2;3:1;4:3;5:3; FF 1:PDG-REM-RDT-LCSM;2:;3:PDG-REM-RDT-LCSM;4:;5:; C1 IFREMER, Ctr Bretagne, Marine Struct Lab, F-29280 Plouzane, France. Thales Underwater Syst, F-06903 Sophia Antipolis, France. Arts & Metiers ParisTech, PIMM, F-75013 Paris, France. C2 IFREMER, FRANCE THALES, FRANCE ENSAM, FRANCE SI BREST AUTRE SE PDG-REM-RDT-LCSM EXTERIEUR IN WOS Ifremer jusqu'en 2018 copubli-france IF 3.562 TC 18 UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00188/29903/28350.pdf LA English DT Article DE ;Polychloroprene;Water sorption;Clustering AB Water sorption has been studied gravimetrically for polychloroprene rubber samples, first at a fixed hygrometric ratio (98% HR) and several temperatures (25, 40, 60 and 80°C) for samples of 1.9 and 3.8 mm thickness (Constant Temperature and Hygrometry, CTH experiments), then at fixed temperature (40°C) and several hygrometric ratios ranging from 0 to 95% HR on samples of 0.1 mm thickness (DVS experiments). CTH experiments reveal an abnormal sorption behavior: after an apparently fickian transient period, the water absorption continues at almost constant rate, no equilibrium is observed after more than 2500 hours, whatever the temperature. DVS experiments reveal a very low Henry’s solubility but the formation of clusters at water activities higher than 40%. The water diffusivity is almost independent of activity below 50% HR and decreases rapidly when activity increases above 50%. Contrary to CTH experiments, equilibrium is reached in DVS and the difference is not simply linked to the well-known effect of sample thickness on diffusion rate. The results allows hypotheses such as hydrolysis or osmotic cracking to explain the abnormal sorption phenomenon to be rejected. It is suggested that clusters could be polymer-water complexes having a linear / branched structure able to grow without phase separation that could explain the reversibility of sorption-desorption cycles. The difference of behavior between thin 0.1 mm and thicker 1.9 or 3.8mm samples could be due to an effect of swelling stresses. PY 2014 PD JUL SO Polymer SN 0032-3861 PU Elsevier Sci Ltd VL 55 IS 12 UT 000337333100013 BP 2861 EP 2866 DI 10.1016/j.polymer.2014.04.024 ID 29903 ER EF