Effects of THF as cosolvent in the preparation of polydimethylsiloxane/polyethersulfone membrane for gas separation

Polydimethylsiloxane/polyethersulfone (PDMS/PES) asymmetric membranes are widely applied in gas separation. However, the effects of common cosolvent on these membranes remain unknown. In order to study the changes in membrane morphology and gas separation properties, asymmetric PDMS/PES membranes we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymer engineering and science 2014-09, Vol.54 (9), p.2177-2186
Main Authors: Kamal, Siti Nadiah Mustafa, Leo, Choe Peng, Ahmad, Abdul Latif, Junaidi, Mohd Usman Mohd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Asymmetry
Chemical properties
Coating
Dimethylpolysiloxane
Evaporation
Exact sciences and technology
Exchange resins and membranes
Forms of application and semi-finished materials
Gas separation
Gases
Identification and classification
Membrane separation
Membranes
Morphology
Polyethersulphones
Polymer industry, paints, wood
Polymeric composites
Production processes
Properties
Scanning electron microscopy
Selectivity
Separators (Machines)
Silicone resins
Technology of polymers
Tetrahydrofuran
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Summary:Polydimethylsiloxane/polyethersulfone (PDMS/PES) asymmetric membranes are widely applied in gas separation. However, the effects of common cosolvent on these membranes remain unknown. In order to study the changes in membrane morphology and gas separation properties, asymmetric PDMS/PES membranes were prepared. The studied parameters were types of cosolvents, tetrahydrofuran (THF) concentration, evaporation time, and PDMS concentration. Membrane morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy and gas separation was conducted using pure CO2, N2, CH4, and Hat 25°C. The addition of cosolvent into the polymer solution decreased the dope viscosity and delayed liquid–liquid demixing during phase inversion. Macrovoids formation was observed in substructure layer after adding THF and these macrovoids elongated with the reduction in THF content. There were microvoids formed on top of macrovoids and microvoids layer became thicker due to the increasing evaporation time of solvents before coagulation in nonsolvent. The PDMS coating on the PES membrane formed a dense skin layer and exhibited higher selectivity compared to the uncoated membrane. Membrane contained THF cosolvent with 60 s evaporation time and 3 wt% coated PDMS is the optimum membrane among other membranes in this work. The CO2/N2 selectivity was enhanced by 73.3% with CO2 permeance of 44.86 GPU. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2177–2186, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
ISSN:0032-3888
1548-2634
DOI:10.1002/pen.23767