In the current work, we prepared secondary and quaternary amine containing polyether-based crosslinked membranes. The polyether-based membrane helps to facilitate ion and CO2 conduction and the crosslinking strategy helps to establish mechanical stability. The membrane was fabricated through copolymerization of epichlorohydrin (ECH) and propylene oxide (PO) with poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether as crosslinker by using a tetra-head aluminum initiator and catalyst system. The synthesized membrane is robust, flexible, and optically transparent. The mechanical properties of the membrane were tuned through the ratio of PO to ECH. We further enhanced membrane stability by increasing the crosslinker density. Membrane structure was characterized through 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy studies. Membrane stability was examined with the DSC, TGA, and mechanical testing. The membrane was modified with primary and/or tertiary amines to provide relevant utility for applications like CO2 capture and ion exchange. The transport of relevant molecular species (e.g., CO2, OH-) was characterized to understand polymer structure-transport property relationships. We report this as a simple, tunable method to produce robust membranes for molecular transport.

Star shaped polyether-based crosslinked membranes for separation applications.

ACS Fall 2021

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