ABSTRACT:Diffusion coefficients D for CO2 and CH4 , their activation energies, E0 , and lifetime and intensity of ortho-positronium (o-Ps), , 3 and / 3 respectively, were measured for nine polymers at temperatures T from glass transition temperature T 8 up to T 8 + 70 K. For semicrystalline polymers, D and / 3 are corrected to give those in 100% amorphous samples, D, and / 3 ,., respectively. Average size of free volume holes probed by o-Ps, vh,P" is evaluated from , 3 using an empirical equation. According to the free volume model of diffusion, correlations between log(D,/T) and fractional free volumefand between E0 /RT and Tf-2 (df/dT) are tested, using WLF fractional free volumefwLF, vh,PJ3, and vh,Ps for f The correlations are better for vh,Ps than for vh,rJ3 . There is no correlation for fwLF· The volume fraction of free volume holes larger than the effective size of the penetrants, VF,dif, are evaluated by a proposed model from vh,Ps and volume fraction of 'free space,' VF, estimated by the method of van Kreveran and Bondi. The correlations are better for VF,dif than for VF and also for vh,Ps· The apparent good correlations for vh,Ps are ascribed to the correlation of it with V F,dif· KEY WORDS Diffusion Coefficient / Rubbery Polymer / Free Volume / Positron Annihilation/ ortho-Positronium / Carbon Dioxide/ Free Volume Distribution / Diffusion of penetrant molecules in polymers is a subject of great importance from the standpoint of membrane separation. Diffusion of penetrants in rubbery polymers is often interpreted by free volume theory. 1 -3 According to Fujita's formulation, 1 the diffusion coefficient, D 0 , at zero penetrant concentration is given by fractional free volume. The fractional free volume is generally expressed bywhere Aa and Ba are the parameters dependent on penetrant molecular size and shape, R is the gas constant, T temperature, and J