Structure and Transport Properties of Mixed-Matrix Membranes Based on Polyimides with ZrO2 Nanostars

Abstract

Abstract:Mixed-matrix membranes based on amorphous and semi-crystalline polyimides with zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ) nanostars were synthesized. Amorphous poly(4,4 -oxydiphenylenepyromellitimide) and semi-crystalline polyimide prepared from 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene and 4,4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride were used. The effect of ZrO 2 nanostars on the structure and morphology of nanocomposite membranes was studied by wide-angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle measurements. Thermal properties and stability were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Transport properties of hybrid membranes containing 5 wt % ZrO 2 were tested for pervaporation of a mixture of butanol-water with 10 wt % H 2 O content. It was found that a significant amount of the ZrO 2 added to the semi-crystalline polyimide is encapsulated inside spherulites. Therefore, the beneficial influence of inorganic filler on the selectivity of mixed-matrix membrane with respect to water was hampered. Mixed-matrix membranes based on amorphous polymer demonstrated the best performance, because water molecules had higher access to inorganic particles.

Effect of Domain Structure of Segmented Poly(urethane-imide) Membranes with Polycaprolactone Soft Blocks on Dehydration of n-Propanol via Pervaporation

“…As opposed to PCL-based films, the polyheteroarylene membranes based on PMDA demonstrate a high selectivity toward water accompanied with rather low fluxes [53]. Some improvement can be achieved by preparation of mixed matrix membranes of polyheteroarylene with inorganic oxide nanoparticles [27], but as can be seen in Figure 8, the introduction of the PCL soft segment leads to the higher fluxes along with the same or higher selectivity than for PMDA-based mixed matrix membranes.…”

“…Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a versatile method for the investigation of surface topography [24,25], mechanical [26,27,28], and electrical properties [29,30] of different materials on a nanoscale. This method allows for characterization of the phase separation [31,32] and interfacial processes [33] in polymer materials with high spatial resolution.…”

Influence of Water Concentration on Its Mobility in Matrimid®

“…Aromatic heterocyclic polyimides and their composites attract a great attention during the last years as perspective membrane materials [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The presence of the polar groups and water permeability make these polymers and composites on their base the promising candidates for preparation of membranes for dehydration of different types of organic solvents [2,3,[7][8][9]. Matrimid ® is one of the commercially available amorphous polyimide that demonstrates excellent thermal stability, good mechanical properties, high glass transition temperature and superior chemical stability.…”

Butanol-1 Dehydration via Pervaporation Using Membranes Based on Thermally Rearranged Polymer

“…In particular, a number of papers have been devoted to studies on the use of membranes based on crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane and polytrimethylsilylpropine [12][13][14]. Polymers of the heteroatomic structure, such as polyamides [15,16] and polyimides [17][18][19][20][21], as well as thermally transformed polymers [22,23], are widely used to dehydrate alcohols.…”