Membranes for gas separation: Influence of thermodynamic factors in
membrane synthesis
Abstract
In this study, Cloud point experiments and Flory Huggins’s theory for
polymer solutions are used to construct ternary phase diagrams for
systems of Water/Solvent(s)/Polysulfone. The different solvents used are
NMP, THF, and their mixtures, with Ethanol being optionally used as a
nonsolvent additive. The ability of the F-H theory to predict the
binodal phase boundaries with reasonable accuracy for both pure solvent
and solvent mixtures is established. The binodal curve was distinct for
each solvent and influences the precipitation path followed in phase
inversion. The effect of this on the membrane structure was studied
using scanning electron microscopy, and in turn, the influence of
structure on membrane performance was studied in a permeation cell at a
feed pressure of 3 bar. Membranes cast with a mixture of NMP-THF with
EtOH as a nonsolvent showed the best performance with CO2 permeance of
7.07 GPU and CO2/CH4 selectivity of 20.77.