Sublimation as a function of diffusion

Purification of large organic molecules in a tubular sublimator occurs by a combination of laminar flow, Knudsen diffusion, and volume diffusion. For laminar flow, the amount purified per area per driving force varies with pd², where p is pressure and d is tube diameter. For Knudsen diffusion, it varies with d and is not a function of pressure. For volume diffusion, it is constant, consistent with experiment. This volume diffusion mechanism may offer an alternative explanation to slip flow for dilute gas transport of both organic semiconductors and common low molecular weight gases.