Freeze-dried cellulose acetate membrane fine structure observation

A freeze-dried cellulose acetate membrane fine structure was observed with an ultrathin sectioning electron microscope. The fine structure for the top surface in this membrane could be seen by lead citrate staining ultrathin sectioning. This network structure was observed among pores, which existed in porous substrate. The pore diameter in the top surface was about 50 Å, a value that agrees approximately with the value estimated by gas permeation.     

Role of membrane surface morphology in colloidal fouling of cellulose acetate and composite aromatic polyamide reverse osmosis membranes

Laboratory-scale colloidal fouling tests, comparing the fouling behavior of cellulose acetate and aromatic polyamide thin-film composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, are reported. Fouling of both membranes was studied at identical initial permeation rates so that the effect of the transverse hydrodynamic force (permeation drag) on the fouling of both membranes is comparable. Results showed a significantly higher fouling rate for the thin-film composite membranes compared to that for the cellulose acetate membranes. Addition of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) to mask variations in chemical and electrokinetic surface characteristics of the cellulose acetate and aromatic polyamide membranes resulted in only a small change in the fouling behavior. The higher fouling rate for the thin-film composite membranes is attributed to surface roughness which is inherent in interfacially polymerized aromatic polyamide composite membranes. AFM and SEM images of the two membrane surfaces strongly support this conclusion. These surface images reveal that the thin-film composite membrane exhibits large-scale surface roughness of ridge-and-valley structure, while the cellulose acetate membrane surface is relatively smooth.     

Permeation of carbon dioxide through homogeneous dense and asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes

Sorption isotherms for carbon dioxide in a homogeneous dense cellulose acetate membrane were measured by the pressure decay method at three temperatures between 20 and 40°C and gas pressures up to 1.7 MPa. Steady-state permeation rates for the same system at three temperatures between 24 and 40°C and gas pressures up to 2.2 MPa were measured by the variable volume method. The equilibrium sorption was described well in terms of the dual-mode sorption model. The pressure dependence of the mean permeability coefficient was interpreted by the total immobilization model, i.e., a limiting case of the dual-mode mobility model, where the diffusion coefficient for the Henry's law mode is not assumed to be constant but depends upon gas pressure via a modified free-volume theory. The observed pressure dependence of the mean permeability coefficient through an asymmetric cellulose acetate membrane was very similar to that through a homogeneous dense membrane. The thin skin layer in the asymmetric membrane can be simulated by a homogeneous dense membrane from the point of view of gas sorption and diffusion.     

Improved Membranes for Hemodialysis

Asymmetric membranes of cellulose acetate and cellulose acetate modified with pendant amino groups have been evaluated for ultrafiltration and dialysis properties. Ultrafiltration rates from 4 to 30 times that of Cuprophan were obtained. During the ultrafiltration test, up to 89% of inulin in the test solution permeated with the ultrafitrate in contrast to the 14% permeation of inulin through a Cuprophan membrane. In spite of the apparently facile permeation of high molecular weight species (e.g., inulin) through the experimental membranes, human albumin was quantitatively reflected. Dialysis tests indicate that cellulose acetate membranes 38 μ or less in thickness should surpass 23-μ-thick (wet) Cuprophan in purely diffusional transport of blood solutes of low molecular weight.

In addition to their promising ultrafiltration and dialysis properties, membranes made from a blend of cellulose acetate and N,N-diethylaminoethylcellulose acetate were found to sorb heparin strongly. The clotting time of rabbit blood in contact with the heparinized membranes was extended, in some cases indefinitely.     

The effects of transition metal complexes on the permeation of small gas molecules through cellulose acetate membranes

Cellulose acetate (CA) membranes containing RuCl₃·3H₂O and RhCl [P(C₆H₅)₃]₃ were prepared reproducibly. Such membranes, on treatment with CO, formed metal-carbonyl species at relatively low temperature. The Ru-carbonyls formed in CA were quite stable at 40°C in comparison with the Rh-carbonyl species and, interestingly, there was no permeation of CO gas through the ruthenium-containing CA membrane at 40°C. However, the permeation of other gas molecules, such as H₂, N₂ and O₂, through the same membrane was reduced only slightly, probably due to the cross-linking effect of the transition metal complexes in CA. It was found that essentially pure H₂ gas could be recovered from a 1: 1 mixture of H₂ and CO gases using ruthenium-containing cellulose acetate membranes.     

Steady-state distribution of water in cellulose acetate membrane

The effect of hydrostatic pressure applied to a solution on one side of a membrane on the steady-state concentration distribution of permeating solvent inside the membrane has been examined with a view to distinguishing between different mechanisms of permeation in reverse osmosis. The concentration gradients found experimentally in stacks of cellulose acetate films support the view that permeation takes place by diffusion in a nonporous membrane.     

凝固浴温度对纤维素中空纤维膜结构及气体渗透分离性能影响研究

利用新型溶解工艺,在不同的凝固浴温度(0～60℃)下制备了纤维素中空纤维膜,考察了凝固浴温度对纤维素中空纤维膜结晶结构、机械性能和气体渗透分离性能的影响.扫描电镜表征表明凝固浴温度的升高使得纤维素中空纤维膜更加疏松,并且内侧的指状孔变大变多;膜的机械性能随凝固浴温度的升高而变差;XRD谱图显示凝固浴温度对纤维素中空纤维...     

Characterization of SAPO-34 membranes by water adsorption

The effects of humidity on gas permeation were studied for five SAPO-34 membranes with different fractions of permeation through non-SAPO pores. Membranes with high CO₂/CH₄ separation selectivities (>20) were stable in humidified gases, but degradation was seen for some membranes after months of exposure to the laboratory atmosphere. Once the membranes started to degrade, the rate of degradation appeared to accelerate. The degradation created non-SAPO pores that were larger than the SAPO-34 pores, as indicated by i-C₄H₁₀ permeance, CO₂/CH₄ selectivity, and CO₂ flux dependence on pressure. The effect of humidity on gas permeance correlated with these indicators of non-SAPO pores. Adsorbed water appeared to completely block the SAPO pores, but permeation through non-SAPO pores increased with humidity. Therefore, water adsorption can be used to determine membrane quality and the fraction of transport through non-SAPO pores.     

Influence of drying method on morphology and properties of asymmetric cellulose hollow fiber membrane

Using a dry/wet spinning process, asymmetric cellulose hollow fiber membranes (CHFM) were prepared from a dope composed of cellulose/N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide/water. The formation mechanism for the finger-like macrovoids at the inner portion of as-spun fibers was explained. Naturally drying and three solvent exchange drying methods were tried to investigate their influence on morphology and properties of CHFM. It was found that the ethanol–hexane exchange drying was an appropriate method to minimize morphology change of the as-spun CHFM, whereas the naturally drying caused the greatest shrinkage of the fibers that made the porous membrane become dense. As a result, CHFM from ethanol–hexane exchange drying performed the highest gas permeation rate but gas permeation of the naturally dried membrane could not be detectable. The resultant CHFM from the ethanol–hexane exchange drying also showed acceptable mechanical properties, thus it was proposed to be an appropriate method for gas separation purpose. The experimental results supported the proposed drying mechanism of CHFM. The free water would evaporate or be replaced by a solvent that subsequently would evaporate but the bonded water would remain in the membrane. What dominated the changes of membrane morphology during drying should be the molecular affinities of cellulose–water, water–solvent and solvent–solvent.     

A dynamic approach to diffusion and permeation measurements

A dynamic method for investigating the mechanism of permeation and diffusion through polymers has been explored. The permeation cell consists of two compartments separated by the membrane. The permeant (gas, vapor, or liquid) is introduced into one compartment; a carrier gas (helium) flows at constant rate through the other and sweeps the permeant which diffuses through the membrane to the thermal conductivity detector. Both compartments are at atmospheric pressure; thus no or little membrane support is required, and leakage problems are minimal. Moreover, the same membrane can be used over a wide temperature range and for diverse permeants. The detector signal is at any instant proportional to the permeation rate. A simple mathematical formalism for deriving the diffusion coefficient from the transient permeation rates has been developed. The measured diffusion and permeability coefficients of CO₂, O₂, and N₂ through low-density polyethylene closely agree with literature values. Permeation of hexane and benzene through polyethylene follows a complex diffusion law, and the rate depends on the thermal history of the system. The dynamic method is particularly suited to the study of transitions in polymers. Changes in permeation rates, usually occurring at transition points, can easily be discovered by slow temperature scanning of the system.     

PREPARATION OF SILICALITE-1 AND ZSM-5 ZEOLITE/ CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANES

ＰＲＥＰＡＲＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＳＩＬＩＣＡＬＩＴＥ┐１ＡＮＤＺＳＭ┐５ＺＥＯＬＩＴＥ／ＣＥＲＡＭＩＣＣＯＭＰＯＳＩＴＥＭＥＭＢＲＡＮＥＳＺｈａｎｇＬｉｘｉｏｎｇ，ＪｉａＭｅｎｇｄｏｎｇ，ＭｉｎＥｎｚｅ（ＲｅｓｅａｒｃｈＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＰｅｔｒｏｌｅ...     

Molecular dynamics simulation of iso- and n-butane permeations through a ZSM-5 type silicalite membrane

Molecular dynamics simulation of the permeation processes of single and mixed gases of iso- and n-butane through a ZSM-5 type silicalite membrane are presented. After 200 ps of simulation time the permeation of n-butane is observed whereas the permeation of iso-butane is not observed. The permeation of n-butane at 373 K takes place after the saturation of the zeolite pores, whereas at higher temperature, 773 K, it occurs without significant pores saturation. The calculated permeability of n-butane is close to experimental data. The permeation of the gas mixture shows that the membrane can separate the two isomers, n-butane permeates whereas iso-butane does not.     

Interaction between pores in diffusion through membranes of arbitrary thickness

The model of permeation through membranes used in this paper consists of representing the membrane as an impermeable slab perforated by N circular cylinders (pores), the permeation rate being controlled by the rate at which penetrant diffuses through the membrane. Employing a Green's function approach for the local concentration leads to a simple expression for the flow through each pore. The limit N → ∞ has to be treated carefully, and this is worked out in detail for a membrane with regularly distributed pores. Our results show that the details of the actual pore distribution do enter into the results. For the case of small area fraction of penetration sites, explicit results for the membrane permeability are obtained and serve as an estimate for the error involved in the customary cell method.     

Water in polymer membranes. Part III : Water sorption and pore volume in cellulose acetate films

Changes in waveguide properties of several cellulose acetate membranes and one polyimide membrane were measured as a function of their exposure to varying levels of relative humidity. The volume fraction of water in the films and the occupied pore volumes were determined from refractive index and thickness changes. The dependence of the refractive index on water absorption is related to a competition between two processes: one of filling pores with no film expansion and one of “free expansion” where the film expands to completely accommodate the added water volume. The term “pore” is taken to mean a volume with molecular and not macroscopic dimensions. The hydration properties of these dense cellulose acetate membranes were affected by degree of acetylation, casting temperatures and annealing treatments. Annealing CA398 membranes at 180°C decreased film water concentration by reducing the amount of free expansion. Annealed CA398 membranes that were tested in a reverse osmosis cell were found to have high salt rejection compared to unannealed films. The hydration characteristics of a polyimide membrane are compared to cellulose acetate membranes.     

涂布法制备纤维素增强微孔膜

将醋酸纤维素（CA）铸膜液涂布在纤维载体上，制成增强微孔膜（RMF）。这种涂布是借助于凝胶剂的协同效应及相转换机理来实现的。此增强的表膜及载体既不分离，又不互相渗透，膜与载体中孔隙不会被堵塞，具有高强度和高水通量等优点。     

纤维素中空纤维膜气体加湿性能的研究

采用纤维素N甲基吗啉N氧化物(NMMO)水三元纺丝体系,以去离子水为芯液,自来水为凝胶浴,湿法纺制了纤维素中空膜.经自然干燥后该膜的轴向、径向都明显收缩,断面呈现均质致密结构.干膜在水中会明显溶胀,重新润湿后具有气密性.考察了加湿水温、水气压力差等因素对膜的水渗透通量的影响,并初步测试了膜对质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)反应气体H2和O2的加湿性能.实验结果表明该膜透水性能较优,气体加湿效果明显,具有应用于PEMFC反应气体加湿系统的潜力.     

Gas permeation through water-swollen hydrogel membranes

This work deals with water-swollen hydrogel membranes for potential CO₂ separation applications, with an emphasis on elucidating the role of water in the membrane for gas permeation. A series of hydrogel membranes with a wide range of water contents (0.9–10 g water/g polymer) were prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol), chitosan, carboxyl methyl cellulose, alginic acid and poly(vinylamine), and the permeation of CO₂, H₂, He and N₂ through the membranes at different pressures (200–800 kPa) was studied. The gas permeabilities through the dry dense membranes were measured as well to evaluate the resistance of the polymer matrix in the hydrogel membranes. It was shown that the gas permeability in water-swollen membrane is lower than the gas permeability in water, and the selectivity of the water-swollen membranes to a pair of gases is close to the ratios of their permeabilities in water. The permeability of the water-swollen membranes increases with an increase in the swelling degree of the membrane, and the membrane permeability tends to level off when the water content is sufficiently high. A resistance model was proposed to describe gas permeation through the hydrogel membranes, where the immobilized water retained in the polymer matrix was considered to form transport passageways for gas permeation through the membrane. It was shown that the permeability of hydrogel membranes was primarily determined by the water content in the membrane. The model predictions were consistent with the experimental data for various hydrogel membranes with a wide range of water contents (0.4–10 g water/g polymer).     

CO2／CH4分离膜及沸石填料影响渗透过程的研究

报导了甲基硅橡胶和纤维素（ＣＡ、ＣＴＡ、ＥＣ）膜对ＣＯ２、ＣＨ４的选择透气性能，并讨论了沸石作为填料所引起的分子筛作用的气体渗透过程。甲基硅橡胶的气体渗透系数最高，而选择性最低，且不受填料沸石的影响。纤维素膜的气体选择性较大，渗透系数可以通过沸石的加人而明显增加。特别是沸石１３Ｘ．沸石３Ａ、４Ａ、５Ａ在ＥＣ膜中对气体分子筛作用，改变了气体原有的渗透过程，提高了选择性。使用Ａｒｒｈｅｎｉｕｓ公式计算出ＥＣ－沸石３Ａ膜的气体渗透活化能。     

新型α-纤维素膜制备与性能研究

以N 甲基氧化吗啉为溶剂制备了α 纤维素膜并对其机械性能、液体渗透性能以及耐酸、碱性能进行了考察 .α 纤维素膜机械强度达 133 3MPa ,比其他方法制备的纤维素膜高 30 %～ 6 0 % .α 纤维素膜数对牛血清蛋白的截留率达到 98% ,在pH1至pH9范围内液体渗透流量保持稳定 .文章通过与其他纤维素膜比较 ,进一步揭示了新的制膜方法对纤维素膜结构和性能的影响