The expansion of membrane technology in emerging applications drives a constant demand for novel materials. In this work, we report the preparation of stable porous polymeric membranes for liquid separations in organic solvents that can operate in high temperature and/or extreme acid or basic conditions. Polymeric membranes with aforementioned properties could replace traditional and energy-intensive separation processes like thermal distillation. Additionally, thermal and solvent resistant polymeric membranes are a cheaper alternative compared to their brittle ceramic homologues due to their easy processability and scalability. In particular poly(oxindole) derivatives constitute a versatile new family of polymers and are excellent materials to prepare membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) applications, aiming for more energy efficient chemical separations. We have synthesized and functionalized poly(oxindolebiphenylene) and engineered them into porous flat-sheet and hollow fiber membranes by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS); pore size distribution was controlled by the preparation parameters. The prepared membranes were crosslinked using three different strategies: (1) chemical crosslinking reacting with dibromides, (2) thermal crosslinking by the incorporation of propargyl as a side group, followed by immersion in hot glycerol, and (3) photo-induced crosslinking via thiol-yne click chemistry. Furthermore, the polymer modification and membrane preparation processes can be performed in environmentally friendly conditions using greener alternatives such as PolarClean and PEG400, replacing traditional solvents. The membranes are used in organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and others. The molecular weight cut-off of these membranes range from 1 kg mol-1 to 20 kg mol-1 and can be tuned by the casting conditions, with a solvent permeance up to 68 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 at 120 °C. The reported membranes show exceptional stability in common organic solvents, with minimum swelling and high degradation temperature, allowing them to be employed in organic solvent filtration and separation processes.

Engineering polymeric porous membranes for solvent and thermal resistant applications using poly(oxindole) derivatives

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.