Articles | Volume 17, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1545-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1545-2024
Research article
 | 
12 Mar 2024
Research article |  | 12 Mar 2024

Absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by polymer tubing: implications for indoor air and use as a simple gas-phase volatility separation technique

Melissa A. Morris, Demetrios Pagonis, Douglas A. Day, Joost A. de Gouw, Paul J. Ziemann, and Jose L. Jimenez

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Cited articles

Algrim, L. B., Pagonis, D., de Gouw, J. A., Jimenez, J. L., and Ziemann, P. J.: Measurements and modeling of absorptive partitioning of volatile organic compounds to painted surfaces, Indoor Air, 30, 745–756, https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12654, 2020. 
Asbach, C., Kaminski, H., Lamboy, Y., Schneiderwind, U., Fierz, M., and Todea, A. M.: Silicone sampling tubes can cause drastic artifacts in measurements with aerosol instrumentation based on unipolar diffusion charging, Aerosol Sci. Tech., 50, 1375–1384, https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2016.1241858, 2016. 
Chantrey, G. and Rattee, I. D.: The influence of polymer and dye characteristics on diffusion in nylon 66, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 18, 93–103, https://doi.org/10.1002/app.1974.070180108, 1974. 
Chen, S. P. and Ferry, J. D.: The Diffusion of Radioactively Tagged n-Hexadecane and n-Dodecane through Rubbery Polymers. Effects of Temperature, Cross-Linking, and Chemical Structure, Macromolecules, 1, 270–278, https://doi.org/10.1021/ma60003a014, 1968. 
Cox, S. S., Zhao, D., and Little, J. C.: Measuring partition and diffusion coefficients for volatile organic compounds in vinyl flooring, Atmos. Environ., 35, 3823–3830, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(01)00175-3, 2001. 
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Short summary
Polymer absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is important to characterize for atmospheric sampling setups (as interactions cause sampling delays) and indoor air quality. Here we test different polymer materials and quantify their absorptive capacities through modeling. We found the main polymers in carpets to be highly absorptive, acting as large reservoirs for indoor pollution. We also demonstrated how polymer tubes can be used as a low-cost gas separation technique.
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