Barrier Test Device—Czech Contribution for Testing Resistance of Barrier Materials Against Permeation of Volatile Toxic Compounds
摘要
The current international situation is associated with several threats that are linked to the possibility of using toxic substances not only against military forces, but also against the civilian population. Based on this fact, it is reasonable to assume that the issue of protection against the effects of toxic substances will be an issue of constant relevance. It is necessary to respond to this fact by developing new technical equipment capable of comprehensively assessing the quality of protective materials used in the construction of clothing intended to protect against the effects of hazardous substances. It was developed an analytical device designated for testing specific resistance of porous and non-porous barrier membranes against the permeation of volatile toxic substances under static and dynamic conditions during contamination with gaseous and liquid phase contaminants. This device uses novel PVDF permeation cells design with a built-in high-sensitivity resonant QCM sensor with a horizontal mounted polymer detection layer or conductivity graphite or IDE sensor. These sensors are placed in close proximity to the barrier material being tested, allowing continuous qualitative and quantitative monitoring of the permeation of not only chemical warfare agents, but many other volatile toxic industrial chemicals through porous and non-porous materials without the need for an external detector. The developed permeation device also includes special software enabling not only recording but also on-line processing of generated permeation data including calculation of a number of transport parameters such as diffusion coefficient, permeation time, permeation amount, permeation rate, lag-time, etc. All calculated parameters and calculated permeation dependencies are repeatedly available in a record that can be printed as a log after the test. The device was developed as a Czech alternative to the standard ASTM method in accordance with ASTM and ČSN EN ISO standards in cooperation with GRYF, HB Ltd., which is also its manufacturer and supplier. The permeation cells and the whole equipment are protected as a Czech industrial design.