Gas permeation properties of phenylene oxide polymers

• Published in: Journal of membrane science 1998-01, Vol.138 (1), p.99-107
• Main Authors: Alentiev, A., Drioli, E., Gokzhaev, M., Golemme, G., Ilinich, O., Lapkin, A., Volkov, V., Yampolskii, Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diffusion; Gas and vapor permeation; Gas separations; Semicrystalline polymers; Sorption
• ISSN: 0376-7388; 1873-3123
• DOI: 10.1016/S0376-7388(97)00219-6

Gas permeability ( P i) and diffusion ( D i) coefficients in respect to several gases (H 2, O 2, N 2, CO, CO 2, CH 4) have been measured for poly(2,6-dimethylphenylene oxide) (PMPO), poly(2,6-diphenylphenylene oxide) (PPPO), and phenylene oxide copolymers containing methyl, phenyl, and allyl radicals as side groups. X-ray diffraction study shows that both homopolymers are semicrystalline materials, whereas all the copolymers are completely amorphous. The results show that a replacement of methyl by phenyl groups in PMPO/PPPO pair is accompanied by decrease in the P values. A transition from semicrystalline PMPO to amorphous copolymers results in a decrease in permeability and solubility coefficients and not in a growth of these parameters as can be expected on the basis of the behavior of other semicrystalline polymers (e.g. polyolefins). It is supposed that the crystallites of PMPO, and possibly of PPPO are packed loosely and, hence, take part in sorption and gas transport. This assumption is in agreement with numerous X-ray data as well as the results of positron annihilation study of these polymers.