Solubilities of benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, chloroform, and dichloromethane in poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG), polycaprolactone (PCL), and several PEG/PCL diblock copolymers at 298.15 K are reported. Activity versus weight fraction data were collected using a quartz crystal microbalance and are adequately represented by the Flory–Huggins model.

Solubilities of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene (BTEX compounds, together with xylene) in poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) and plasticized PEMA at 298.15 K were measured using a quartz crystal microbalance and are reported in the form of solvent activity versus solvent weight fraction. Two plasticizers, diisononyl cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH) and diisooctyl azelate (DIOA), were studied, each at three different concentration levels in the polymer. The presence of a plasticizer increases the solubility of all three compounds. Data were interpreted using a pseudobinary Flory−Huggins model in which the plasticized polymer is considered to be a single pseudocomponent.

Using a quartz crystal microbalance, the sorption of several different solvents, benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, dichloromethane, and chloroform in three triblocks of the homopolymers polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were observed at 298.15 K. The solvent−polymer interaction was modeled using a modified Flory− Huggins equation and weight-based activity coefficients at infinite dilution were obtained from it to study the trend as the PCL/PEG ratio increases in the triblock copolymer system.

Sensing films based on polymer–plasticizer coatings have been developed to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere at low concentrations (ppm) using quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs). Of particular interest in this work are the VOCs benzene, ethylbenzene, and toluene which, along with xylene, are collectively referred to as BTEX. The combinations of four glassy polymers with five plasticizers were studied as prospective sensor films for this application, with PEMA-DINCH (5%) and PEMA-DIOA (5%) demonstrating optimal performance. This work shows how the sensitivity and selectivity of a glassy polymer film for BTEX detection can be altered by adding a precise amount and type of plasticizer. To quantify the film saturation dynamics and model the absorption of BTEX analyte molecules into the bulk of the sensing film, a diffusion study was performed in which the frequency–time curve obtained via QCM was correlated with gas-phase analyte composition and the infinite dilution partition coefficients of each constituent. The model was able to quantify the respective concentrations of each analyte from binary and ternary mixtures based on the difference in response time (τ) values using a single polymer–plasticizer film as opposed to the traditional approach of using a sensor array. This work presents a set of polymer–plasticizer coatings that can be used for detecting and quantifying the BTEX in air, and discusses the selection of an optimum film based on τ, infinite dilution partition coefficients, and stability over a period of time.

Solubilities of benzene, 2-butanone, and chloroform in polybutadiene (PBD) and three PBD and polystyrene (PS) copolymers at 298.15 K are reported in this paper. Mass fraction data are collected using a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) and related to activity using the Flory− Huggins model; the weight-based activity coefficients at infinite dilution are then obtained and related to copolymer composition. The complexities of collecting data using a QCM for rubbery and glassy polymers are also discussed.