Membrane formation by isothermal precipitation in polyamide-formic acid-water systems II. Precipitation dynamics

An analysis is presented, which describes the isothermal ternary diffusion process encountered in the formation of the aliphatic polyamide membranes such as Nylon-66 by direct immersion-precipitation of a polymeric solution in a nonsolvent bath. A material coordinate is employed to derive the mass transfer equations for the membrane solution. The convective mass transfer in the coagulation bath is taken into account by solving the hydrodynamic boundary layer equations. Diffusion coefficients were measured and used to deduce ternary phenomenological coefficients. The computed results are found to agree with measured precipitation times and with membrane morphologies observed by scanning electron photomicrographs. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Asymmetric membrane formation via immersion precipitation method. I. Kinetic effect

The kinetic effect of the phase inversion process on the membrane morphology is explored, with emphasis on the diffusion coefficient of the nonsolvent as a measure of the solvent/nonsolvent exchange rate. The diffusion coefficient is closely related to the nonsolvent tolerance of the polymer solution, which was estimated from a pseudo-ternary phase diagram of the following system: polymer: polysulfone; solvent system: a mixture of the solvent 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and a solvent additive (formic acid, water or ethanol); and nonsolvent: ethanol. Regardless of the kind of solvent additive employed, when the diffusion coefficient of the nonsolvent is high for a given gelation medium, then the membrane consists of a smooth, defect-free surface and macrovoid-free cross section, and is highly permeable to oxygen. However, using a polymer solution with a low diffusion coefficient results in a membrane of a rather defective morphology. Therefore, it is concluded that the diffusion coefficient of the nonsolvent is a crucial parameter in controlling membrane morphology.     

PVDF membrane formation by diffusion‐induced phase separation‐morphology prediction based on phase behavior and mass transfer modeling

The equilibrium phase behavior of water (nonsolvent)‐DMF (solvent)‐PVDF system at 25°C was investigated via both theoretical and experimental approaches. Using binary interaction parameters, χ_ij, obtained previously, the theoretical phase boundaries were computed and were found to match closely the measured binodal and crystallization‐induced gelation data. Membranes were prepared using the isothermal immersion‐precipitation processes in various dope and bath conditions. The formed membranes demonstrated a broad spectrum of morphologies: At one extreme, asymmetric structure was obtained featuring a continuous tight skin and a sublayer composed of parallel macrovoids and cellular pores; at the other limit, skinless microporous membrane was produced with spherical particles packed into a bi‐continuous structure. The crystalline characters of PVDF gels and membranes were examined by small angle light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. In addition, diffusion trajectories and concentration profiles in the membrane solution before precipitation were calculated for the immersion process. These results predicted reasonably the various morphologies observed in the membranes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2079–2092, 1999     

Microporous polyethersulfone membranes prepared under the combined precipitation conditions with non‐solvent additives

Using diethylene glycol (DegOH) as non‐solvent additive (NSA) and N, N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) as solvent (S), polyethersulfone (PES) flat sheet membranes were prepared via immersion precipitation combined with the vapor induced phase separation (VIPS) process. Light transmittance was used to follow the precipitation rate during the immersion process as well as during the VIPS stage. As the addition of the NSA, the viscosity of casting solutions increased, which led to a slow precipitation rate. Though the precipitation rate decreased, the instantaneous demixing type was maintained. High flux membranes were obtained only at a high mass ratio of NSA/S; producing membranes had cellular pores on the top surface and sponge‐like structure on cross section. The VIPS process prior to immersion precipitation was important for the formation of cellular pore on the surface. With the increase in exposure time, the liquid–liquid phase separation took place on the surface of casting solution; nucleation and growth induced the formation of cellular pore on the top surface. Coagulation bath temperature also had large effect on the precipitation rate; high temperature on coagulation bath mainly accelerated the transfer of solvent and non‐solvent. Higher flux membrane with a porous skin layer could be obtained at a high coagulation bath temperature, but at the same time the mechanism properties were weakened. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An improved model for mass transfer during the formation of polymeric membranes by the immersion-precipitation process

An analysis is presented, which describes the isothermal ternary diffusion process encountered in the formation of a cellulose acetate polymeric membrane by a direct immersion-precipitation of polymeric solutions in a nonsolvent bath. A material coordinate was employed to derive the mass transfer equations for the membrane solution and the convective mass transfer in the coagulation bath was taken into account by solving the hydrodynamic boundary layer equations. Diffusion coefficients were measured and used to deduce ternary phenomenological coefficients. The computed results are found to agree with the experimental precipitation time and membrane morphologies observed in scanning electron photomicrographs. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

聚丙烯微孔膜表面修饰的葡聚糖固定化研究

糖以各种形式广泛存在于自然界,在人类的许多生理过程中起着不可或缺的重要作用．它具有优良的亲水性和生物特异性．研究表日月,将含糖单体接枝到聚丙烯微孔膜表面或通过共聚引入聚丙烯腈超滤膜,能显著提高常规高分子分离膜的抗污染能力和表面生物相容性,从而扩大其应用范围．     

聚酰胺亲和膜用于去除内毒素的研究 Ⅰ亲和膜的制备和特征

以尼龙６６膜为基质，用环氧氯丙烷、戊二醛、二溴丙烷、羰基二咪唑试剂对用盐酸水解后的尼龙６６膜进行活化，共价键合上乙二胺、己二胺等不同长度的间隔臂和组氨酸、粘多菌素Ｂ等亲和配基，配基含量达３０μｍｏｌ／ｇ以上。亲和膜装入专门设计制造的膜分离器中，能有效地去除水溶液中的内毒素，去除率一般在９０％以上。该膜对内毒素的亲和容量为０２ｍｇ／ｇ，表观脱附常数为３０４×１０－８ｍｏｌ／Ｌ，亲和膜可用碱、脱氧胆酸钠、盐、无热原水进行洗涤再生。     

Mitigated membrane fouling in an SMBR by surface modification

Fouling is a major obstacle in membrane processes applied in membrane bioreactor. To improve the antifouling characteristics of polypropylene hollow fiber microporous membranes (PPHFMMs) in a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR), the PPHFMMs were surface modified by NH₃, CO₂ plasma treatment, photoinduced graft polymerization of acrylamide and acrylic acid. The structural and morphological changes on the membrane surface were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR/ATR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The change of surface wettability was monitored by contact angle measurements. The results of XPS and FT-IR/ATR clearly indicated the successful modification on the membrane surface. The static water contact angle of the modified membrane reduced obviously. The antifouling characteristics of the modified membranes in an SMBR were evaluated. The modified membranes showed better filtration performances in the submerged membrane bioreactor than the unmodified one, and the acrylic acid-grafted membrane presented the best antifouling characteristics. The results demonstrated that (1) the surface carboxyl-containing membranes were better than the surface amido-containing membranes; (2) surface-grafted membranes were better than the plasma-treated membranes.     

Extraction of organic components from aqueous streams by vacuum membrane distillation

The removal of volatile organic compounds from aqueous streams by vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) has been analyzed. VMD is an evaporation process which takes place through microporous hydrophobic membranes; at low pressure the mass transfer through the membrane is generally dominated by the Knudsen mechanism, while the process selectivity is essentially determined by the liquid-vapor equilibrium conditions existing at the interface. Dilute aqueous mixtures containing ethanol or methylterbutyl ether have been experimentally investigated, in a wide range of operating conditions. The role of concentration-polarization phenomena on the separation factor was also investigated. A detailed model of the transport phenomena involved in the process is developed and compared with the experimental data. A VMD system is finally designed for the purification of waste waters and the related treatment costs are evaluated.     

Membrane formation mechanism and permeation properties of a novel porous polyimide membrane

The transport properties of a novel porous fluorinated polyimide membrane fabricated by a wet phase inversion process were studied with a stirred dead‐end filtration cell. The porous membrane‐forming solvents were tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP), N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The phase separation phenomena in a ternary system of polyimide/solvent/water were investigated from cloud point curves by a titration method and binary interaction parameters. Solvent–water demixing in the system has been found to play very important roles in determining the structure and surface morphology of the polyimide membrane. The porous fluorinated polyimide membranes showed pore sizes from 4 to 500 nm and permeation properties from ultrafiltration to a microfiltration range. In this study, we particularly focused on fouling of the polyimide membranes, because fouling decreases the flux and increases the resistance. Interestingly, the porous polyimide membrane showed excellent water flux recovery after water cleaning compared with that of the polyethersulfone (PSf) membrane, which suggest that for a 6FDA‐6FAP membrane, the protein–membrane and protein–protein interaction was not so strong compared with those in a PSf membrane. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling of asymmetric membrane formation by dry-casting method

Many polymeric membranes are produced by phase inversion technique invented by Loeb and Sourirajan in 1962. The dry-casting method is one of the major phase inversion techniques in which a homogeneous polymer solution consisting of solvent(s) and nonsolvent(s) is cast on a support and then evaporation of the casting solution takes place under convective conditions. In this paper, we model membrane formation by the dry-casting method. The model takes into account film shrinkage, evaporative cooling, coupled heat, and mass transfer and incorporates practical and reliable diffusion theory as well as complex boundary conditions especially at the polymer solution/air interface. The predictions from the model provide composition paths, temperature, and thickness of the solution. By plotting the composition paths on the ternary phase diagram, we ascertain the general structural characteristics of the membranes prepared from particular casting conditions. The predictive ability of the model was evaluated by comparing the results with the experimental data obtained from gravimetric measurements for cellulose acetate (CA)–acetone–water system. In an attempt to illustrate the importance of diffusion formalism on the predictions, recently proposed multicomponent diffusion theory and its simplified forms were utilized in the model. The computational results show that the critical factor for capturing the accurate behavior of membrane formation is the diffusion formalism utilized in the model.     

High‐Density Glycosylation of Polymer Membrane Surfaces by Click Chemistry for Carbohydrate–Protein Recognition

To biologically mimic the carbohydrate–protein interactions in artificial systems, one of the challenges is to construct a glycosylated surface with a high glycosyl density to yield a notable ‘glycoside cluster effect’. A novel strategy is presented for high density glycosylation of the surface of a microporous poly(propylene) membrane (MPPM) by click chemistry. It is promising that the surface glycosyl density can be well controlled over a wide range and the maximum value is over 10 µmol · cm⁻². The recognition capability of these glycosylated MPPMs to lectins indicates the occurrence of the ‘glycoside cluster effect’ when the glycosyl density on the membrane surface exceeds 0.20 µmol · cm⁻².

     

Preparation and Properties of Polyallenes. I. Polymerization of Allene by Ziegler-Type Catalysts

The polymerization of allene induced by organoaluminum-vanadium oxytrichloride catalysts has been investigated in aliphatic hydrocarbons and at normal pressure. For the catalysts investigated, the polymerization activity decreases at decreasing order of alkylation of the aluminum alkyl: AIR₃ > AIR₂X > AIRX₂ (R is Et or i-Bu; X is halogen). Compared with other aluminum trialkyls, trimethylaluminum shows a low activity. For the Al-i-Bu₃-VOCl₃ system, the effects of catalyst ratio, reaction time, and temperature have been studied.     

NMR approach to properties of polymeric membranes. Kinetics of membrane formation

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is used to characterize properties of polyetherimide membranes obtained from a phase inversion process. At the end of the phase inversion and prior to the subsequent thermal treatments, the membrane is made of a porous structure filled of solvent and nonsolvent molecules embedded in a concentrated polymer–solvent matrix in the glassy state. The confinement of the small solvent and non solvent molecules in the porous system leads to a restriction of their mobility. The kinetics of membrane formation is observed from NMR. It is found that the penetration of non-solvent and the propagation of the glassy phase into the system obey simple diffusion laws. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Investigation of the dynamics of poly(ether sulfone) membrane formation by immersion precipitation

Cast‐leaching experiments were carried out to investigate the dynamics of membrane formation by immersion precipitation, with an emphasis on the outflow of the solvent from casting solutions during the phase‐separation process. The casting solutions, consisting of poly(ether sulfone) as the polymer, N‐methyl‐2‐pyrolidone as the solvent, and water (H₂O), isopropyl alcohol, 1‐butanol, and diethylene glycol as nonsolvent additives (NSAs), were immersed in a coagulation bath. Two thermodynamically vastly different coagulants? H₂O, a strong coagulant, and ethylene glycol, a weak coagulant—were used to study the effect of the coagulant on the dynamics of membrane formation. The results showed that the outflow of the solvent during the initial stage of membrane formation was controlled by Fickian diffusion within the extremely wide range of conditions studied, that is, polymer concentrations of 10–38%, approaching ratios of 0–0.95, and thermodynamically vastly different NSAs and coagulants. The role of the initial state of the membrane‐forming solution, especially the conformational state of macromolecules in the membrane‐forming process, was examined. In contrast to those works on the behavior of small molecules, an attempt was made to qualitatively interpret membrane formation from the viewpoint of macromolecules. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 498–510, 2005     

浸没凝胶相转化制备聚合物膜的孔结构及其形成机理

全面地综述了浸没凝胶相转化法制备的聚合物微孔膜的表面和膜中存在的各种孔的结构和形态,从制膜体系的热力学性质和成膜动力学角度解释了各种孔结构形态的形成和生长机理,即膜表面与膜中孔的结构形态由此时制膜体系发生的相分离类型决定,由此可推断出不同的膜层可能有不同的成膜机理。因此,只要掌握了各种膜孔结构形成的机理,通过改变膜的制备条件,控制体系的热力学性质与成膜时动力学扩散是可以实现相转化膜结构的控制。     

Azothia- and Azoxythiacrown Ethers as Ion Carriers. Part I. Cationic Response of Membrane Electrodes

13-Membered azothia- and azoxythiacrown ethers have been applied as ion carriers in ion-selective membrane electrodes. Their sensitivity and selectivity were studied towards alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal cations. It was found that membranes doped with the azoxythiacrown ether (A) show higher affinity towards Pb²⁺ than Cu²⁺ (log K_Cu,Pb ^pot = 1.7), whereas membranes with the azothiacrown ether (B) are more selective towards Cu²⁺ than Pb²⁺ (log K_Cu,Pb ^pot = -2.4). The discrimination of alkali and alkaline earth cations was found to be greater for B than for A. Electrodes with both ionophores suffered from strong interference by Ag⁺ and Hg²⁺. The relation between the carrier structure and electrode properties has been discussed.     

Effects of synthesis parameters on zeolite membrane formation and performance by microwave technique

Recently, zeolite membranes on porous supports have been extensively studied in the ethanol–water separation process for further use for gasohol production. This work focuses on a NaA membrane synthesized on an α‐Al₂O₃ support via microwave hydrothermal treatment. Synthesis temperature and time, type of substrate, seed amount and seeding time for the layer growth of the membrane are considered. The formation of as‐synthesized membranes is discussed according to observations by SEM and XRD. In addition, a preliminary study of the performance of the synthesized NaA zeolite membrane was conducted using the pervaporation technique. It was found that, for the synthesized continuous NaA membranes prepared using a 0.5 µm NaA crystal seed concentration of 3 g/l via vacuum seeding, the optimum conditions were 363 K synthesis temperature for 15–20 min via microwave heating. The flux and the separation factor obtained were 1.6 kg/m² h and 1760.5, respectively, for the substrate without an intermediate layer. Interestingly, the substrate with an intermediate layer showed better flux and separation factor at 1.7 kg/m² h and 6532.7, respectively. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous liquid–liquid microextraction and polypropylene microporous membrane solid-phase extraction of organochlorine pesticides in water,tomato and strawberry samples

A procedure involving the simultaneous performance of liquid–liquid microextraction and polypropylene microporous membrane solid-phase extraction was carried out. The applicability of the proposed procedure was evaluated through extraction of several organochlorine pesticides from river water, tomato and strawberry samples. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized by multivariable designs, and the analytical features were estimated. Under optimized conditions, analytes were concentrated onto 1.5 cm long microporous membranes placed directly into the sample containing 15 mL of water with 20 μL of 1-octanol. The best extraction conditions were achieved at 59 °C, with 60 min of extraction time and 2.91 g of sodium chloride. The desorption of the analytes was carried out using 30 μL of a mixture of toluene and hexane in the proportion of 60:40% (v/v) for 10 min. Detection limits in the range of 2.7–20.0 ng L⁻¹, 0.50–1.15 μg kg⁻¹, and 1.53–12.77 μg kg⁻¹ were obtained for river water, strawberry and tomato samples, respectively. Good repeatability was obtained for all three sample types. The results suggest that the proposed procedure represents a very simple and low-cost microextraction alternative rendering adequate limits of quantification for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in environmental and food samples.