The focus of this work is to investigate the morphology, physical properties, and transport phenomenon of Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-Titanium isopropoxide (TIP)-Penta block copolymer (PBC) hybrid membranes depending on different composition. TEOS and TIP are two precursors used in sol-gel process to prepare Si-Ti mixed materials as the inorganic component. PBC is poly(t-butyl styrene-b-ethylene-co-propylene-b-styrene-co-styrenesulfonate-b-ethylene-co-propylene-b-t-butyl styrene) as the organic component.These novel hybrid materials can be widely used in many applications, such as fuel cells, lithium-ion battery, and water purification. In our work, a triangle phase diagram of TEOS-TIP sol gel system was achieved to study composition influence, since the different rates of hydrolysis of the silicon and titanium alkoxides can cause phase separation, producing Ti- and Si-rich regions. Unlike the previous work done by soaking membrane in inorganic sol or mixing polymer with inorganic particles, TEOS-TIP-PBC hybrid membranes were prepared from homogenous inorganic-organic solutions by controlling different TEOS: TIP molar ratio and different concentration of inorganic components in hybrid membranes. In addition, contact angle data by Kruss DSA 100 surface analyzer, water uptake, proton conductivity by Autolab potentiostat, mechanical properties by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermal stability by thermal gravity analysis (TGA) were investigated and highly affected by the composition. Other characterizations and applications, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), gas separation, and liquid transport through these hybrid membranes will be included in the further investigation.

Morphology, physical properties, and transport phenomenon of TEOS-TIP-PBC hybrid inorganic-organic membranes depending on composition

247th National Meeting (2014)

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