Composite reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes

Mixed matrix membranes (mmms) comprising organic polymers with dispersed inorganic fillers for gas separation

Membrane-based gas separation

The methods and mechanisms of nonsolvent induced phase separation have been studied for more than fifty years. Today, phase inversion membranes are widely used in numerous chemical industries, biotechnology, and environmental separation processes. The body of knowledge has grown exponentially in the past fifty years, which suggests the need for a critical review of the literature. Here we present a review of nonsolvent induced phase separation membrane preparation and characterization for many commonly used membrane polymers. The key factors in membrane preparation discussed include the solvent type, polymer type and concentration, nonsolvent system type and composition, additives to the polymer solution, and film casting conditions. A brief introduction to membrane characterization is also given, which includes membrane porosity and pore size distribution characterization, membrane physical and chemical properties characterization, and thermodynamic and kinetic evaluation of the phase inversion process. ...

Preparation and Characterization of Membranes Formed by Nonsolvent Induced Phase Separation: A Review

Membranes for gas separation

The second-generation polysulfone (PSU) gas-separation membrane is seen as a trilayer that is considerably more permeable and at least as selective as the first-generation bilayer that it has replaced. In air separation, a fourfold increase in oxygen permeabiliy has been obtained with no loss in oxygen/nitrogen selectivity. The enhanced performance is the result of a membrane skin that is not only thinner, but also exhibits increased free volume and a graded density. The key to the emergency of the trilayer morphology was the discovery of a hitherto unsuspected relationship between the size of solvent molecules within a sol and the free volume and permeability in the resultant gel! Solvent molecules with a molar volume V > ˜ 147 cc/mol function as transient templates (spacers) that decrease macromolecular packing density. As a practical matter, the low diffusivity (difficult extractibility) of large solvent molecules is circumvented by the use of 1:1 Lewis acid: base (A:B) complexes such as propionic acid: N-methyl pyrrolidone instead of neat solvents. Complexes whose acid and base strengths, respectively, lie between (Gutmann 47 < AN < 53 and 27 < DN < 28) are sufficiently stable to function as templates, while at the same time exhibiting the hydrolytic instability that leads to their ready disassociation and extraction by water. Selectivity is maintained by the use of A:B complexes whose Hildebrand solubility parameters differ from that of PSU by less than ˜ 1.3 (cal/cc)½. The emergence of the trilayer membrane is considered to be the second decoupling of permeability from selectivity. By the formation of an anisotropic (graded density) skin, permeability has been increased and selectivity maintained. This is analogous to the first decoupling by Loeb and Sourirajan who essentially replaced a thick dense monolayer film with a bilayer consisting of a thin skin of uniform density in series with a thick porous substructure.

The second‐generation polysulfone gas‐separation membrane. I. The use of lewis acid: Base complexes as transient templates to increase free volume

All integrally skinned asymmetric membranes contain some defects which are attributable to the incomplete coalescence of the nodule aggregates of which the skin layer is composed. When such defects are small in size and few in number, they can be effectively sealed by coating with a highly permeable polymer. The resulting composite then exhibits the selectivity to gas permeation which is characteristic of the base polymer. Prior to their sealing, therefore, such membranes can be said to exhibit the potential for intrinsic selectivity. However, not all gas separation membranes can be effectively sealed. In the present study the relationship between sol properties, the presence of macrovoids in the substructure of the gel, and the subsequent failure of the fibers to achieve the potential for intrinsic selectivity are considered. Macrovoid-free fibers with the potential for intrinsic selectivity can be prepared by the utilization of high viscosity, high total solids sols with low nonsolvent tolerance whose solvent vehicles consist of appropriate Lewis acid: base complexes.

The second‐generation polysulfone gas‐separation membrane. II. The relationship between sol properties, gel macrovoids, and fiber selectivity

Oxygen plasma ablation has been used to define the structure of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes spun from Lewis acid:base complex solvents in which the molar ratio of propionic acid to N-methylpyrrolidone was varied. It was found that the helium/nitrogen separation factor of the unetched samples increases with increasing PA/NMP molar ratios. This increase implies a decrease in surface porosity of the resultant hollow fiber as larger fractions of the total NMP in the solvent are complexed with propionic acid. The results also suggest that the differences between the outer separating layer and the supporting matrix increase with increases in the PA/NMP molar ratios. Therefore, a more rapid transition from the separating layer to the porous supporting matrix exists in hollow fiber membranes spun from the higher PA/NMP ratios.

R. E. Kesting

Papers

The second‐generation polysulfone gas‐separation membrane. I. The use of lewis acid: Base complexes as transient templates to increase free volume

The second‐generation polysulfone gas‐separation membrane. II. The relationship between sol properties, gel macrovoids, and fiber selectivity

Polysulfone hollow fiber membranes spun from Lewis acid: base complexes. II: The effect of Lewis acid to base ratio on membrane structure

The effect of free volume on enhanced transport rates of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes spun from lewis acid:base solvent complexes

Characterization of asymmetric hollow fibre membranes with graded-density skins☆