A gas barrier test system and test method

Abstract

This application provides a gas barrier property testing system and method, relating to the field of thin film performance testing technology. The gas barrier property testing system provided by this application defines a closed, pressure-adjustable buffer chamber by setting a first flexible membrane and a second flexible membrane on a support. The space on the side of the second flexible membrane facing away from the buffer chamber constitutes a permeable side chamber. During testing, a portion of the gas to be tested sequentially passes through the sample, the first flexible membrane, and the second flexible membrane to enter the permeable side chamber for detection. The pressure difference between the two sides of the sample can be changed from the pressure difference between high pressure and high vacuum in traditional methods to the pressure difference between low pressure and low vacuum, reducing the risk of physical damage to the sample and improving the reliability of the gas barrier property test. It is particularly suitable for high-temperature aging tests in water vapor environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of thin film performance testing technology, and in particular to a gas barrier property testing system and testing method. Background Technology

[0002] In fields such as organic electronics and food packaging, electronic components or food encased in films are susceptible to corrosion from water and oxygen in the air. Therefore, the films need to have high water vapor barrier and oxygen barrier properties. Water and oxygen barrier tests are required during the development of the film encapsulation structure or before product shipment to determine whether the film's water and oxygen barrier properties meet specifications.

[0003] Based on different principles, existing tests for water and oxygen barrier properties of thin film samples can be broadly classified into two types: the isobaric method and the differential pressure method.

[0004] The isobaric method generally involves introducing the target gas to be blocked onto one side of the sample (hereinafter referred to as the supply side), and introducing an inert gas onto the other side of the sample (hereinafter referred to as the permeation side), allowing the inert gas to flow freely. The supply and permeation sides of the sample maintain essentially the same pressure (generally atmospheric pressure). The inert gas acts as a carrier gas, carrying the target gas that permeates the sample into the detection device to measure the content of the target gas permeating the sample. The advantages of the isobaric method are that the pressures on both the supply and permeation sides are essentially the same, reducing the likelihood of physical defects in the sample, such as glass defects. However, the disadvantages of the isobaric method are that the detection device needs to be capable of analyzing the target component in a large amount of carrier gas at a high level; currently, implementing such a high-sensitivity gas analysis technique is quite difficult. Furthermore, since the carrier gas generally contains impurities such as water vapor and oxygen before being introduced into the detection device, this leads to a decrease in detection sensitivity and accuracy.

[0005] The differential pressure method generally involves introducing a pressurized gas mixed with the gas to be tested (for example, in a water vapor barrier test, the gas to be tested is water vapor, and the pressurized gas is a dry gas such as nitrogen) into one side of the sample, creating a vacuum in the permeation chamber on the other side of the sample. The gas to be tested that permeates through the sample is then introduced into the detection device to measure its content. The differential pressure method has essentially the opposite advantages and disadvantages to the isobaric method. Specifically, the advantage of the differential pressure method is that the detection device (e.g., a mass spectrometer) can detect the analyte in the permeation chamber under high vacuum conditions, resulting in high sensitivity and ensuring test accuracy. The disadvantage of the differential pressure method is that during the test, due to the large pressure difference between the supply and permeation sides of the sample, physical defects such as peeling can easily occur, manifesting as indentations, cracks, and other physical damage on the sample. The gas to be tested can easily pass through these damaged areas, leading to test failure.

[0006] The problem of physical damage to samples is even more pronounced when conducting aging tests in a water vapor environment. For example, to test the aging performance of encapsulation films in the organic electronics field at 85°C / 85%RH, the sample needs to be heated to 85°C, and the humidity (RH) in the supply-side environment needs to be maintained at 85%. Due to the higher concentration of the supply-side gas and the heated state of the sample, it is more susceptible to the effects of pressure differences, making it more prone to physical damage and thus leading to test failure. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In summary, the technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a new gas barrier property testing system.

[0008] The technical solution adopted in this application to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows:

[0009] In a first aspect, this application provides a gas barrier property testing system, comprising:

[0010] A support body defines a first cavity having a first opening for docking with a supply-side cavity;

[0011] A first flexible membrane and a second flexible membrane are attached to the first open end face to close the first opening. The surface of the first flexible membrane facing away from the support body forms a sample bearing surface for bearing the sample. The second flexible membrane extends into the first cavity. The space between the first and second flexible membranes forms a closed-shaped and pressure-adjustable buffer chamber. The space of the first cavity on the side of the second flexible membrane facing away from the buffer chamber forms a permeable side chamber.

[0012] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the thickness of the first flexible membrane is greater than the thickness of the second flexible membrane, and / or the thickness of the second flexible membrane is 40 to 400 μm.

[0013] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the support body includes a first sub-support body and a second sub-support body, the first sub-support body defining a first opening and having a first sub-cavity, the second sub-support body having a second sub-cavity, the first sub-support body and the second sub-support body abutting each other such that the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity are connected and at least partially constitute the first cavity, and the second flexible membrane is sandwiched between the first sub-support body and the second sub-support body.

[0014] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the air permeability of the first flexible membrane is 0.1 to 10 cm⁻¹. 3 / (m 2 The second flexible membrane has an air permeability of 0.1 to 10 cm⁻¹ (24h·bar). 3 / (m 2·24h·bar); and / or,

[0015] The material of the first flexible membrane is selected from at least one of polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyamide-imide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyphenylene sulfide, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyhexamethylene adipamide. The material of the second flexible membrane is selected from at least one of polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyamide-imide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyphenylene sulfide, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyhexamethylene adipamide.

[0016] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the support body further includes a first support portion disposed between the first flexible membrane and the second flexible membrane. The first support portion has a first support surface covered by the first flexible membrane, and a first channel extending from the first support surface and communicating with the buffer chamber is formed on the first support portion; and / or

[0017] The support body also includes a second support portion disposed on the side of the second flexible membrane facing away from the buffer chamber. The second support portion has a second support surface covered by the second flexible membrane, and a second channel is formed on the second support portion extending from the second support surface and communicating with the through side chamber.

[0018] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the following are also included:

[0019] The supply body defines the supply-side chamber;

[0020] A gas generator for testing, which has at least one gas branch connected to the buffer chamber to supply the gas to be tested to the buffer chamber;

[0021] A pressurized gas generator has at least a first gas supply branch connected to the buffer chamber to supply pressurized gas to the buffer chamber, thereby adjusting the gas pressure in the supply-side chamber.

[0022] A vacuum generating device, the vacuum generating device having at least a first vacuum branch connected to the through side chamber;

[0023] The detection device is used to detect the content of the gas to be detected in the transmissive side chamber.

[0024] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the gas generator to be detected further has a second gas supply branch connected to the buffer chamber, and the vacuum generator further has a second vacuum branch connected to the buffer chamber.

[0025] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the supply body defines a second opening communicating with the supply-side chamber. The supply body has at least a test position and a sample-changing position relative to the support body. When the supply body and the support body are in the test position, they are connected to each other, and the second opening and the first opening are aligned with each other so that the supply body and the support body clamp the sample on the sample bearing surface. When the supply body and the support body are in the sample-changing position, they are separated, thereby exposing the sample bearing surface.

[0026] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the gas barrier test system includes a test stand defining an external chamber that is at least in a closed state, a support and a supply body connected to the test stand, and the support defines a portion of a first opening and the supply body defines a portion of a second opening extending into the external chamber. The vacuum generating device also has at least a third vacuum branch that is connected to the external chamber.

[0027] Secondly, this application provides a gas barrier testing method using the gas barrier testing system of the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0028] Place the specimen on the specimen bearing surface;

[0029] Adjust the pressure in the buffer chamber to achieve a first vacuum level, and adjust the pressure in the permeable side chamber to achieve a second vacuum level, wherein the first vacuum level is less than the second vacuum level.

[0030] The gas to be tested is introduced into the supply-side chamber to make the pressure in the supply-side chamber greater than the pressure in the buffer chamber.

[0031] Determine the content of the gas to be detected in the transmissive side chamber.

[0032] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, adjusting the pressure in the permeation-side chamber to give the permeation-side chamber a second vacuum includes:

[0033] The pressure in the permeable side chamber is adjusted by a dry pump to achieve a third vacuum level. The pressure in the permeable side chamber is then adjusted by a cold pump to change the permeable side chamber from a third vacuum level to a second vacuum level, where the third vacuum level is lower than the second vacuum level.

[0034] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the testing method further includes the step of: […] before testing the sample.

[0035] Adjust the pressure in the permeable side chamber to create a second vacuum in the permeable side chamber;

[0036] A preset amount of the gas to be detected is introduced into the through-side chamber, and the corrected detection content of the gas to be detected in the through-side chamber is determined.

[0037] Based on the preset content and the calibrated detection content, the error ratio between the preset content and the calibrated detection content is obtained;

[0038] Determining the content of the gas to be detected in the transmissive side chamber includes:

[0039] Determine the actual detectable content of the gas to be detected through the side chamber;

[0040] The content of the gas to be detected in the permeated side chamber is determined based on the actual detected content and the error ratio.

[0041] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, this application includes at least the following beneficial effects:

[0042] The gas barrier property testing system provided in this application mainly defines a closed, pressure-adjustable buffer chamber by setting a first flexible membrane and a second flexible membrane within the first cavity of the support body. The space between the first cavity and the second flexible membrane on the side opposite to the buffer chamber forms a permeable side chamber. A portion of the gas to be tested sequentially passes through the sample, the first flexible membrane, and the second flexible membrane to enter the permeable side chamber for detection. During testing, the pressure difference between the two sides of the sample can be changed from the pressure difference between high pressure and high vacuum in traditional methods to the pressure difference between low pressure and low vacuum, reducing the risk of physical damage to the sample and improving the reliability of the gas barrier property test. Simultaneously, the permeable side chamber can still maintain a high vacuum, reducing the requirements for the testing device, making it particularly suitable for high-temperature aging tests in water vapor environments. Attached Figure Description

[0043] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application, wherein:

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sample support structure in Embodiment 1 provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fit between the sample support structure and the supply body in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 3 This is a top view of the first support portion and its first channel on the sample support structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the test seat, sample support structure, and supply body in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the piping connection of the gas barrier property testing system in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the testing method in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 7 This is a further detailed flowchart of the testing method in Embodiment 1 provided by the present invention;

[0051] Figure 8 This is a further detailed flowchart of the testing method in Embodiment 1 provided by the present invention.

[0052] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0053] 100 - Support body, 101a - First sub-support body, 101b - Second sub-support body, 110 - First flexible membrane, 110a - Sample bearing surface, 120 - Second flexible membrane, 130 - Buffer chamber, 140 - Transmitting side chamber, 150 - First support part, 150a - First channel, 160 - Second support part, 160a - Second channel, 170 - Buffer connector, 180 - Connector

[0054] 200 - Supply body, 210 - Supply side chamber;

[0055] 300-Test socket, 300a-Seat body, 300b-Modible cover, 310-External chamber;

[0056] 400 - Gas generator to be tested; 410 - Gas detection branch;

[0057] 500 - Pressurized gas generator, 510 - First gas supply branch, 520 - Second gas supply branch;

[0058] 600 - Vacuum generating device; 610 - First vacuum branch; 620 - Second vacuum branch; 630 - Third vacuum branch;

[0059] 700 - Detection device;

[0060] 810 - First switching valve, 820 - Second switching valve, 830 - Third switching valve, 840 - Fourth switching valve, 850 - Fifth switching valve, 860 - Sixth switching valve;

[0061] 900-sample. Detailed Implementation

[0062] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0063] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a unique orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0064] In this application, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described as "exemplary" in this application is not necessarily to be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this application. Details are set forth in the following description for purposes of explanation. It should be understood that those skilled in the art will recognize that this application can be made without using these specific details. In other instances, known structures and processes are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the description of this application with unnecessary detail. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles disclosed in this application.

[0065] Example 1

[0066] The main body of this embodiment is a sample support structure for a gas barrier testing system. Specifically, the gas barrier testing system used in this embodiment is a water vapor barrier testing system. It should be noted that the sample support structure provided in this embodiment is not limited to water vapor barrier testing systems; it can also be used in other gas barrier testing systems such as oxygen barrier testing systems.

[0067] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2In this embodiment, the sample support structure specifically includes:

[0068] Support body 100 defines a first cavity having a first opening for docking with supply side chamber 210.

[0069] A first flexible membrane 110 and a second flexible membrane 120 are connected to the first opening end face to close the first opening. The surface of the first flexible membrane 110 facing away from the support body 100 forms a sample bearing surface 110a for bearing the sample 900. The second flexible membrane 120 extends into the first cavity. The space between the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 forms a closed-shaped and pressure-adjustable buffer chamber 130. The space of the first cavity on the side of the second flexible membrane 120 facing away from the buffer chamber 130 forms a through-hole chamber 140.

[0070] The aforementioned support 100 refers to the component used to support the sample 900. A first flexible membrane 110 is attached to the end face of the first opening of the support 100 to close the first opening, thereby separating two mutually isolated spaces: a space outside the first flexible membrane 110 and a space inside the first cavity. A second flexible membrane 120 extends into the first cavity, further dividing it into two spaces. The space outside the first flexible membrane 110 constitutes the supply-side chamber 210 for introducing water vapor with a certain pressure and content. Since the pressure of the buffer chamber 130 defined by the first and second flexible membranes 110 and the inner wall of the first cavity is adjustable, a certain pressure difference can exist between the buffer chamber 130 and the supply-side chamber 210, and also between the buffer chamber 130 and the permeation-side chamber 140, during testing. The buffer chamber 130 can be adjusted to a lower vacuum level, while the permeation-side chamber 140 can be adjusted to a higher vacuum level. At this time, along the direction from the supply-side chamber 210, buffer chamber 130 to the permeation chamber, a pressure difference with a gradual gradient is formed in the supply-side chamber 210, buffer chamber 130, and permeation chamber. This causes the gas to be tested, i.e., water vapor, to pass through the sample 900, the first flexible membrane 110, and the second flexible membrane 120 in sequence and gradually enter the permeation-side chamber 140 with a higher vacuum, where it is detected by the detection device 700, thereby evaluating the water vapor barrier properties of the sample 900.

[0071] Compared to traditional methods, the solution provided in this embodiment primarily defines a pressure-adjustable buffer chamber 130 using a first flexible membrane 110 and a second flexible membrane 120. The pressure difference between the two sides of the sample 900 is changed from the pressure difference between the atmosphere and high vacuum in traditional methods to the pressure difference between the atmosphere and low vacuum, thereby reducing the risk of physical damage to the sample 900 and improving the reliability of gas barrier properties testing, especially suitable for high-temperature aging tests in water vapor environments. Furthermore, compared to technical solutions that only reduce the vacuum level of the through-side chamber 140, the solution provided in this embodiment maintains a relatively high vacuum level in the through-side chamber 140, thus reducing the requirements for the specifications of the testing device.

[0072] It's important to note that the degree of rarefaction of gas in a vacuum state is called the vacuum level. The vacuum level mentioned above primarily describes the pressure within a chamber, and it's typically expressed as a pressure value (units such as Pa or mbar, where 1 mbar = 100 Pa). The rarer the gas, the lower the pressure value, and the higher the vacuum level.

[0073] It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, the supply-side chamber 210 is defined by the supply body 200, and the openings of the supply body 200 and the support body 100 are aligned with each other, but this is not a limitation. Without affecting the purpose of the invention, the implementers may modify the supply body 200 and the supply-side chamber 210 defined therein.

[0074] Regarding the method of adjusting the pressure in the buffer chamber 130, in this embodiment, a buffer connector 170 is formed on the support 100, which communicates with the buffer chamber 130 and is used to connect with a pressure adjustment device, thereby allowing the pressure adjustment device to adjust the pressure inside the buffer chamber 130. Users may also use other methods to adjust the pressure inside the buffer chamber 130, and this application does not impose any particular limitations on this.

[0075] Regarding the connection method of the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120, in this embodiment, the first flexible membrane 110 is directly adhered to the end face of the first opening in the support 100. The second flexible membrane 120 extends into the interior of the support 100. If the second flexible membrane 120 is configured such that its edge is bonded to the inner wall of the first cavity, then under a high pressure difference, the second flexible membrane 120 has a certain risk of detachment. Therefore, please refer again... Figure 1In this embodiment, the support body 100 includes a first sub-support body 101a and a second sub-support body 101b. The first sub-support body 101a defines a first opening and has a first sub-cavity, and the second sub-support body 101b has a second sub-cavity. The first sub-support body 101a and the second sub-support body 101b are fixedly connected to each other so that the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity are connected and at least partially constitute the first cavity. The second flexible membrane 120 is sandwiched between the first sub-support body 101a and the second sub-support body 101b. By separating the support body 100 into two parts, the connection reliability of the second flexible membrane 120 can be ensured. It should be noted that the support body 100 is not limited to having only two sub-support bodies 100. Without affecting the purpose of the invention, the implementer can choose the number of sub-support bodies included in the support body 100 according to their own needs. However, no matter how many sub-support bodies are included in the support body 100, the two sub-support bodies 100 that hold the second flexible membrane 120 will at least partially define the first cavity.

[0076] Regarding the materials, the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 described above can be made of polymeric materials as shown in this embodiment. When the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 are made of polymeric materials, the materials of the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 include, but are not limited to, any one or a combination thereof, of polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyamide-imide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyphenylene sulfide, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyhexamethylene adipamide.

[0077] When the water vapor transmission rate of the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 is lower than that of the sample 900, the water vapor content entering the permeation-side chamber 140 will decrease, which will increase the difficulty of the test. Therefore, in this embodiment, the water vapor transmission rate of the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 is configured to be 1 to 10 g / (m²). 2 •24h). When the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 have water vapor transmission rates within the above range, their water vapor transmission rates are generally several orders of magnitude higher than those of the sample 900. In other words, most of the water vapor that passes through the sample 900 will enter the permeable side chamber 140 through the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120, thereby reducing the difficulty of testing.

[0078] Furthermore, for gas barrier tests, water vapor or other gases to be tested will only pass through the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 after they have reached saturation. During the sample replacement process 900, the first flexible membrane 110 is easily corroded by atmospheric water vapor, which will affect the detection accuracy. Therefore, the thickness of the first flexible membrane 110 needs to be set to be relatively thick to reduce the risk of atmospheric water vapor entering the buffer chamber 130 or passing through the side chamber 140.

[0079] In this embodiment, the second flexible membrane 120 is shielded by the first flexible membrane 110 and is essentially not in direct contact with the atmosphere. Since the time to reach saturation is positively correlated with the thickness, the thickness of the second flexible membrane 120 can be set to be relatively small (e.g., 40 to 400 μm). Compared with a scheme where the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 have the same thickness, the second flexible membrane 120 can reach saturation faster, thereby reducing the testing time.

[0080] Furthermore, as two interconnected components, a gap inevitably forms between the first sub-support 101a and the second sub-support 101b, and the second flexible membrane 120 is disposed within this gap. This means that the side of the second flexible membrane 120 is susceptible to water vapor intrusion. By setting the thickness of the second flexible membrane 120 to a smaller value as described above, the possibility of water vapor intrusion into the side of the sample 900 can be reduced, thereby improving measurement accuracy.

[0081] After each test, the sample 900 is replaced. At this time, the supply-side chamber 210 typically returns from high pressure to atmospheric pressure. If the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 have high permeability (e.g., they are made of porous materials), some gas will pass through the first flexible membrane 110 into the buffer chamber 130 or through the second flexible membrane 120 into the permeation-side chamber 140 due to the loss of the sample 900's barrier effect. This makes it difficult to maintain a vacuum in the buffer chamber 130 and the permeation-side chamber 140. Therefore, after each test, the buffer chamber 130 and the permeation-side chamber 140 need to be re-vacuumed, which affects testing efficiency.

[0082] Accordingly, in this embodiment, the air permeability of the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 is configured to be between 0.1 and 10 cm⁻¹. 3 / (m 2(24h bar). Under these conditions, the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120 have good gas barrier properties, thus ensuring that when the supply-side chamber 210 is under atmospheric pressure, the pressure in the buffer chamber 130 defined by the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120, and the permeation-side chamber 140 defined by the second flexible membrane 120, does not change significantly, or the rate of pressure change is slow. This avoids the need to re-establish a vacuum in the buffer chamber 130 and the permeation-side chamber 140 after a test, thereby improving test efficiency.

[0083] It is understandable that the first flexible membrane 110, the second flexible membrane 120, and the sample 900 covering the sample bearing surface 110a will undergo a certain degree of deformation under the action of pressure difference. When the deformation amplitude is large, the first flexible membrane 110, the second flexible membrane 120, and the sample 900 are prone to physical damage.

[0084] So please see again. Figure 1 In this embodiment, the support body 100 further includes a first support portion 150 disposed between the first flexible membrane 110 and the second flexible membrane 120. The first support portion 150 has a first support surface covered by the first flexible membrane 110, and a first channel 150a is formed on the first support portion 150 extending from the first support surface and communicating with the buffer chamber 130. The support body 100 also includes a second support portion 160 disposed on the side of the second flexible membrane 120 opposite to the buffer chamber 130. The second support portion 160 has a second support surface covered by the second flexible membrane 120, and a second channel 160a is formed on the second support portion 160 extending from the second support surface and communicating with the through side chamber 140.

[0085] The first support portion 150 effectively supports the first flexible membrane 110 and the sample 900, preventing significant deformation of the first flexible membrane 110 and the sample 900. Similarly, the second support portion 160 effectively supports the second flexible membrane 120, preventing significant deformation of the second flexible membrane 120. It should be noted that the above support should not be interpreted as the first support portion 150 necessarily being subjected to the gravity of the first flexible membrane 110 or the sample 900, or the second support portion 160 necessarily being subjected to the gravity of the second flexible membrane 120. The support described here can be understood as follows: the supply-side chamber 210, the buffer chamber 130, and the permeation-side chamber 140 have a gradient pressure difference, and the first support portion 150 and the second support portion 160, through contact, cause the sample 900, the first flexible membrane 110, and the second flexible membrane 120 to tend to maintain their original shape under the action of the pressure difference.

[0086] It is understandable that implementers can provide only one of the first support portion 150 and the second support portion 160 to achieve the technical effect of supporting the corresponding flexible membrane. Ideally, as shown in this embodiment, the support body 100 has both the first support portion 150 and the second support portion 160.

[0087] The structure of the support 100 will be further disclosed below:

[0088] Please combine Figure 1 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, both the first sub-support body 101a and the second sub-support body 101b are cylindrical with open ends, and have the same inner and outer diameters, meaning their wall thicknesses are identical. The axial dimension of the first sub-support body 101a is approximately 5 mm, while the axial dimension of the second sub-support body 101b is larger than that of the first sub-support body 101a. The first sub-support body 101a and the second sub-support body 101b are bonded and fixed at their joint, and then sealed.

[0089] A first support portion 150 is disposed at one end of the first sub-support body 101a, specifically defining one end of the first opening. The first support surface and the first opening end face of the first support portion 150 are flush to facilitate the adhesion of the first flexible film 110 to the first support surface. A second support portion 160 is disposed at one end of the second sub-support body 101b, and the second support surface of the second support portion 160 is flush with the opening end face of the second support portion 160 to facilitate the adhesion of the second flexible film 120 to the second support surface.

[0090] In this embodiment, the first channel 150a is a first through hole, and the second channel 160a is a second through hole. The first and second through holes are evenly arranged, and their diameters may be the same or different. Alternatively, implementers can use channels of other shapes to replace the first and second through holes.

[0091] In addition, a connector 180 is fixedly connected to or integrally formed on the second sub-support 101b, and bolt holes are formed on the connector 180 so that the entire support 100 can be fixed to other components.

[0092] The following describes the test method of the gas barrier property testing system used in the sample support structure provided in this embodiment. In this embodiment, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 6 The testing method includes the following steps:

[0093] S100, Place the specimen 900 on the specimen bearing surface 110a;

[0094] S200, Adjust the pressure of the buffer chamber 130 to give the buffer chamber 130 a first vacuum degree, adjust the pressure of the buffer chamber 130 to give the permeable side chamber 140 a second vacuum degree, the first vacuum degree is less than the second vacuum degree;

[0095] S300, pressurized gas mixed with the gas to be detected and having a preset pressure is introduced into the supply side chamber 210 so that the pressure in the supply side chamber 210 is greater than the pressure in the buffer chamber 130.

[0096] S400, Determine the content of the gas to be detected in the transmissive side chamber 140.

[0097] The test method provided in this embodiment mainly adjusts the pressure in the buffer chamber 130 to change the pressure difference between the two sides of the sample 900 from the pressure difference between high vacuum and pressure in the traditional method to the pressure difference between low vacuum and pressure. This reduces the risk of physical damage to the sample 900 and improves the reliability of the gas barrier test. It is especially suitable for high-temperature aging tests in a water vapor environment.

[0098] It should be noted that the pressurized gas mentioned above is mainly used to mix with the gas to be tested and to provide pressure. For example, the dryness test method provided in this embodiment is a water vapor barrier test, the gas to be tested is water vapor, and the pressurized gas can be a dry gas such as nitrogen.

[0099] Additionally, please see Figure 7 In this embodiment, step S200 is further refined to improve efficiency. Specifically, the steps described above—adjusting the pressure in the permeable side chamber 140 to give the permeable side chamber 140 a second vacuum—include:

[0100] S210. Adjust the pressure of the through-side chamber 140 by using a dry pump to give the through-side chamber 140 a third vacuum degree;

[0101] S220. The pressure of the permeable side chamber 140 is adjusted by the cold pump so that the permeable side chamber 140 changes from the third vacuum level to the second vacuum level, and the third vacuum level is less than the second vacuum level.

[0102] In this context, a dry pump refers to a dry mechanical pump, whose pump chamber contains no oil or other working medium. A dry pump can quickly achieve a lower vacuum level in the permeable side chamber 140. A cold pump, on the other hand, refers to a condenser pump, which can quickly achieve a higher vacuum level in the permeable side chamber 140. This embodiment combines the use of a dry pump and a cold pump, which, compared to technical solutions using only one of them, offers the advantages of achieving the target vacuum level faster and with higher efficiency.

[0103] It should be noted that this embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on the arrangement and connection of the dry pump and the cold pump, as long as both the dry pump and the cold pump are connected to the permeable side chamber 140 to adjust the pressure of the permeable side chamber 140.

[0104] In addition, the through side chamber 140 will be kept under vacuum during the testing phase. This means that some of the gas to be tested may be drawn away by the vacuum pump described above, which may lead to errors in the test results.

[0105] Therefore, please see Figure 8 In this embodiment, before testing the sample 900, the testing method further includes the following steps:

[0106] S500: Adjust the pressure in the through-side chamber 140 to give the through-side chamber 140 a second vacuum degree;

[0107] S600, Introduce the gas to be detected at a preset content into the through side chamber 140, and determine the corrected detection content of the gas to be detected in the through side chamber 140.

[0108] S700. Based on the preset content and the calibrated detection content, obtain the error ratio between the preset content and the calibrated detection content.

[0109] The determination of the content of the gas to be detected in the transmissive side chamber 140 includes:

[0110] S410. Determine the actual detectable content of the gas to be detected in the transmissive side chamber 140;

[0111] S420. Based on the actual detected content and the error ratio, determine the content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber 140.

[0112] In detail, before testing sample 900, step S500 simulates the state of the permeable side chamber 140 during testing, and step S600 directly introduces a preset amount of the gas to be tested into the permeable side chamber 140. The actual detected calibration detection content is determined by the detection device 700. Ideally, all the gas to be tested introduced into the permeable side chamber 140 should be detected by the detection device 700. However, as described above, some of the gas to be tested may be extracted by the vacuum pump, so the preset content is generally greater than the calibration detection content, and the two have an error ratio relationship. This error ratio relationship can characterize the influence of the chamber environment on the detection device 700. Therefore, in actual testing, the content of the gas to be tested in the permeable side chamber 140 can be calculated based on the error ratio relationship and the actual detected content.

[0113] Furthermore, regarding step S300, in this embodiment, the preset pressure is a high pressure greater than atmospheric pressure; however, this should not be construed as a limitation on the value of the preset pressure. The preset pressure can be any pressure greater than the pressure inside the buffer chamber 130 to meet the needs of different tests.

[0114] Example 2

[0115] The main body of this embodiment is a gas barrier property testing system, specifically a water vapor barrier property testing system. It should be noted that the gas barrier property testing system provided in this embodiment is not limited to a water vapor barrier property testing system; it can also be an oxygen barrier property testing system or other gas barrier property testing systems.

[0116] Please see Figure 4 and Figure 5 In this embodiment, the gas barrier property testing system includes:

[0117] The specimen support structure as described in Example 1;

[0118] Supply body 200, supply body 200 defines supply-side chamber 210;

[0119] The gas generator 500 has at least one detection gas branch 410 connected to the supply side chamber 210 to supply the gas to be tested to the supply side chamber 210.

[0120] A pressurized gas generator has at least a first gas supply branch 510 connected to the supply side chamber 210 to supply pressurized gas to the supply side chamber 210, thereby adjusting the gas pressure in the supply side chamber 210.

[0121] Vacuum generating device 600, the vacuum generating device 600 having at least a first vacuum branch 610 connected to the through side chamber 140;

[0122] The detection device 700 is used to detect the content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber 140.

[0123] The supply unit 200 primarily defines the supply-side chamber 210, the gas to be detected generator 500 generates the gas to be detected, and the pressurized gas generator generates pressurized gas, which provides a high-pressure environment to the supply-side chamber 210. The vacuum generator 600 adjusts the pressure to provide a vacuum. The detection device 700, which may be a mass spectrometer, detects the content of the gas to be detected within the permeation-side chamber 140.

[0124] In this embodiment, the gas generator 500 also has a second gas supply branch 520 connected to the buffer chamber 130, and the vacuum generator 600 also has a second vacuum branch 620 connected to the buffer chamber 130. During the test, the buffer chamber 130 is generally in a low vacuum state. Therefore, when it is necessary to establish a certain low vacuum in the buffer chamber 130, the operator can first use the second vacuum branch 620 to establish a higher vacuum in the buffer chamber 130, and then briefly apply the second gas supply branch 520 to the buffer chamber 130. By repeatedly and alternately applying the second gas supply branch 520 and the second vacuum branch 620 to the buffer chamber 130, the buffer chamber 130 can be kept in a low vacuum state. It should be noted that the gas in the buffer chamber 130 is pressurized gas supplied by the second gas supply branch 520. This avoids affecting the accuracy of the test results of the sample 900.

[0125] It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, to facilitate the establishment of connection and disconnection between the chamber and the corresponding components, switching valves are provided on the branches. For example, a first switching valve 810 is provided on the detection gas branch 410, a second switching valve 820 is provided on the first gas supply branch 510, a third switching valve 830 is provided on the second gas supply branch 520, a fourth switching valve 840 is provided on the first vacuum branch 610, and a fifth switching valve 850 is provided on the second vacuum branch 620. Of course, the implementer can also omit the switching valves and control the start or stop of the corresponding components to keep the chamber in the desired state.

[0126] More specifically, in this embodiment, to facilitate the installation of pipelines, one end of the second vacuum branch 620 is connected between the two ends of the first vacuum branch 610, and the other end of the second vacuum branch 620 is connected between the two ends of the second gas supply branch 520, so as to simplify the installation of pipelines.

[0127] The supply body 200 can have a large chamber shape, but this arrangement results in poor stability of the sample 900 on the sample bearing surface 110a. Therefore, in this embodiment, the supply body 200 defines a second opening that communicates with the supply-side chamber 210. The supply body 200 has at least a test position relative to the support body 100. The supply body 200 and the support body 100 are in contact at the test position, and the second opening and the first opening are aligned with each other, so that the supply body 200 and the support body 100 clamp the sample 900 on the sample bearing surface 110a. By configuring the supply body 200 to be movable relative to the support body 100 and to clamp the sample 900 between them, the bearing capacity of the sample 900 can be effectively improved.

[0128] Meanwhile, in order to realize the sample replacement of the sample 900, in this embodiment, the supply body 200 also has at least a sample replacement position. The supply body 200 in the sample replacement position is separated from the support body 100, thereby exposing the sample bearing surface 110a for removing or placing the sample 900.

[0129] For more details, please see Figure 4 In this embodiment, the gas barrier property testing system includes a test stand 300, which includes a base 300a and a movable cover 300b. The base 300a and the movable cover 300b together enclose an external chamber 310. A support 100 is disposed on the base 300a, while a supply body 200 is movably disposed on the movable cover 300b and can move with the movable cover 300b. The external chamber 310 in the test stand 300 is mainly used to connect with the third vacuum branch 630 of the vacuum generator 600, which has a sixth switching valve 860, so that the external chamber 310 itself has a certain degree of vacuum. The purpose of this arrangement is as follows: Since the supply body 200 and the support body 100 clamp and fix the sample 900 together, a gap will inevitably be formed between the supply body 200 and the support body 100. Furthermore, when the support body 100 adopts a structure of a first sub-support body 101a and a second sub-support body 101b, a gap will also inevitably exist between the first sub-support body 101a and the second sub-support body 101b. Due to these gaps, some water vapor may intrude into the side of the sample 900 or the second flexible membrane 120, reaching the permeable side chamber 140 and affecting the final test results. By placing the junction of the supply body 200 and the support body 100 within a vacuum environment formed by the external chamber 310, this situation can be effectively avoided.

[0130] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the support body 100 is bolted to the base body 300a via the connecting body 180 described above, while the movable cover 300b is slidably disposed on the movable cover 300b. The movable cover 300b can move relative to the base body 300a, thereby allowing the entire test base 300 to switch between a coupled state and an open state. When the test base 300 is in the coupled state, the movable cover 300b and the base body 300a are coupled together, thereby closing the external chamber 310. At this time, the supply body 200 can switch between the test position and the sample changing position. When the test base 300 is in the open state, the movable cover 300b and the base body 300a are separated. Since the supply body 200 moves along with the movable cover 300b, the supply body 200 is in the sample changing position. Of course, implementers can also use test base 300s with other structures, and this application does not particularly limit them.

[0131] The structure of the testing system has been described above. The following section will further introduce the testing method applied to the gas barrier property testing system provided in this embodiment, specifically including:

[0132] S10. Test procedure for sample 900:

[0133] S20. Perform a sample replacement procedure on the tested sample 900:

[0134] In this case, the implementer can use the test method described in Example 1 to implement step S10, so step S10 will not be described again. Step 20 will be further described below.

[0135] Please see Figure 5 Step S20 specifically includes:

[0136] S21. Close the first switch valve 810 and the sixth switch valve 860, and switch the supply body 200 to the sample changing position so that the external chamber 310 and the supply side chamber 210 are connected to each other.

[0137] S22. Put the test seat 300 in the open state and replace the sample 900. During the replacement of the sample 900, open the second switch valve 820 and make the pressurized gas generator continuously generate pressurized gas so that the pressurized gas covers the sample bearing surface 110a through the supply side chamber 210.

[0138] S23. Put the test seat 300 in the engaged state, close the second switch valve 820, and open the sixth switch valve 860 to put the external chamber 310 and the supply side chamber 210 in a negative pressure state.

[0139] S24. Reduce the amount of gas remaining in the transmissive side chamber 140.

[0140] Regarding step S22, the purpose of continuously supplying pressurized gas to the test generating device during sample 900 replacement is to form an air curtain, preventing external impurity gases from intruding into the support 100. Ideally, nitrogen is used as the pressurized gas, and the first flexible membrane 110 is made of polyimide polymer. This is because: in this embodiment, which is applied to water vapor barrier testing, the first flexible membrane 110 has a high water vapor barrier capacity in a nitrogen environment, thus better preventing external water vapor from intruding into the permeable side chamber 140 when replacing sample 900.

[0141] Regarding step S23, it is mainly used to reduce the impact of the atmosphere flowing into the external chamber 310 and the supply side chamber 210 when the test seat 300 is in the open state.

[0142] Regarding step S24, if the transmissive side chamber 140 contains too much water vapor after a test, and the water vapor content is still increasing, it will significantly affect the test results. Generally, the water vapor content should be reduced to the detection limit to minimize its impact within the fluctuation range of the detection error. This process typically takes 2 to 5 days. Alternatively, based on the fact that the curve of residual water vapor versus time approximates an exponential curve, the residual water vapor content for the next test can be predicted. Then, when calculating the water vapor content after the next test, subtracting the predicted residual water vapor content will yield the water vapor content that only permeates through sample 900.

[0143] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the detailed disclosure above is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this application, and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0144] Furthermore, this application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the application. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application can be appropriately combined.

[0145] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of the present application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

[0146] In some embodiments, numbers describing the quantity of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of embodiments are modified in some examples with the terms "approximately," "approximately," or "generally." Unless otherwise stated, "approximately," "approximately," or "generally" indicates that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may be changed depending on the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should take into account specified significant digits and employ general methods of digit reservation. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm their breadth of range in some embodiments of this application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such numerical values ​​are set as precisely as feasible.

[0147] For each patent, patent application, patent application publication, and other material such as articles, books, specifications, publications, and documents referenced in this application, the entire contents of that patent application are incorporated herein by reference, except for historical application documents that are inconsistent with or conflict with the content of this application, and documents that limit the broadest scope of the claims of this application (currently or subsequently appended to this application). It should be noted that if there are any inconsistencies or conflicts between the descriptions, definitions, and / or terminology used in the supplementary materials of this application and the content of this application, the descriptions, definitions, and / or terminology used in this application shall prevail.

Claims

1. A gas barrier property testing system, characterized in that, include: A support body defining a first cavity having a first opening for docking with a supply-side chamber; A first flexible membrane and a second flexible membrane, wherein the first flexible membrane is bonded to the first opening end face to close the first opening, the surface of the first flexible membrane facing away from the support body forms a sample bearing surface for bearing the sample, and the second flexible membrane extends into the first cavity; wherein the space between the first flexible membrane and the second flexible membrane forms a closed-shaped and pressure-adjustable buffer chamber, and the space of the first cavity on the side of the second flexible membrane facing away from the buffer chamber forms a permeable side chamber. A supply body that defines the supply-side chamber; A gas generator for testing, wherein the gas generator for testing has at least a detection gas branch connected to the buffer chamber to provide the gas to be tested to the buffer chamber; A pressurized gas generator, wherein the pressurized gas generator has at least a first gas supply branch connected to the buffer chamber to supply pressurized gas to the buffer chamber, thereby adjusting the gas pressure in the supply side chamber; A vacuum generating device, the vacuum generating device having at least a first vacuum branch connected to the through-side chamber; A detection device for detecting the content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber.

2. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the first flexible membrane is greater than the thickness of the second flexible membrane, and / or the thickness of the second flexible membrane is 40 to 400 μm.

3. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The support body includes a first sub-support body and a second sub-support body. The first sub-support body defines the first opening and has a first sub-cavity. The second sub-support body has a second sub-cavity. The first sub-support body and the second sub-support body are abutted against each other so that the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity are connected and at least partially constitute the first cavity. The second flexible membrane is sandwiched between the first sub-support body and the second sub-support body.

4. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air permeability of the first flexible membrane is 0.1 to 10 cm. 3 / (m 2 The second flexible membrane has an air permeability of 0.1 to 10 cm⁻² (24h·bar). 3 / (m 2 ·24h·bar); and / or, The material of the first flexible membrane is selected from at least one of polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyamide-imide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyphenylene sulfide, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyhexamethylene adipamide. The material of the second flexible membrane is selected from at least one of polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyamide-imide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polyphenylene sulfide, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyhexamethylene adipamide.

5. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The support further includes a first support portion disposed between the first flexible membrane and the second flexible membrane, the first support portion having a first support surface covered by the first flexible membrane, and a first channel extending from the first support surface and communicating with the buffer chamber formed on the first support portion; and / or The support body further includes a second support portion disposed on the side of the second flexible membrane facing away from the buffer chamber. The second support portion has a second support surface covered by the second flexible membrane, and a second channel is formed on the second support portion extending from the second support surface and communicating with the permeable side chamber.

6. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas generator to be tested also has a second gas supply branch connected to the buffer chamber, and the vacuum generator also has a second vacuum branch connected to the buffer chamber.

7. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The supply body defines a second opening communicating with the supply-side chamber. The supply body has at least a test position and a sample change position relative to the support body. In the test position, the supply body and the support body are connected, and the second opening and the first opening are aligned with each other so that the supply body and the support body clamp the sample on the sample bearing surface. In the sample change position, the supply body and the support body are separated, thereby exposing the sample bearing surface.

8. The gas barrier property testing system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The gas barrier property testing system includes a test stand defining an external chamber that is at least in a closed state. A support and a supply are connected to the test stand, and the support defines a portion of the first opening, and the supply defines a portion of the second opening, extending into the external chamber. The vacuum generating device also has at least a third vacuum branch that is connected to the external chamber.

9. A gas barrier property testing method using the gas barrier property testing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Including the following steps: The sample is placed on the sample bearing surface; The pressure in the buffer chamber is adjusted to give the buffer chamber a first vacuum level, and the pressure in the permeation side chamber is adjusted to give the permeation side chamber a second vacuum level, wherein the first vacuum level is less than the second vacuum level. The gas to be tested is introduced into the supply-side chamber to make the pressure in the supply-side chamber greater than the pressure in the buffer chamber. Determine the content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber.

10. The gas barrier property testing method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Adjusting the pressure in the permeation-side chamber to achieve a second vacuum in the permeation-side chamber includes: The pressure of the permeation side chamber is adjusted by a dry pump to give the permeation side chamber a third vacuum level, and the pressure of the permeation side chamber is adjusted by a cold pump to change the permeation side chamber from the third vacuum level to the second vacuum level, wherein the third vacuum level is less than the second vacuum level.

11. The gas barrier property testing method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Before testing the sample, the testing method further includes the following steps: Adjust the pressure in the permeation side chamber to give the permeation side chamber the second vacuum level; A preset amount of the gas to be detected is introduced into the permeable side chamber, and the corrected detection content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber is determined. Based on the preset content and the corrected detection content, the error ratio between the preset content and the corrected detection content is obtained; Wherein, determining the content of the gas to be detected in the permeation side chamber includes: Determine the actual detection content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber; Based on the actual detected content and the error ratio, the content of the gas to be detected in the permeable side chamber is determined.

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