PLASMA DEPOSITION OF VINYL MONOMERS ONTO POLY(4-METHYL-1-PENTENE) POLY(DIMETHYL SILOXANE) BLEND MEMBRANE FOR ENRICHMENT OF OXYGEN FROM AIR

An oxygen enriched membrane with improved O2-to-N2 selectivity was pre pared by plasma deposition vinyl monomers onto ly(4-methyl-1-pentene)( TPX)/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) blend membrane. The effects of depo sition time, supply power, and kinds of monomers on the gas separation performance of membranes were studied. The monomers used in this stud y included methyl methacrylate (MMA), vinyl acetate (VAc), 2-hydroxy-e thyl methacrylate (HEMA), and ethyl acrylate (EA). The structure of th e modified membrane was confirmed by FT-IR, SEM, and X-ray diffraction . The crystallinity of the plasma modified membrane was higher than th at of the unmodified membrane. Pressure-normalized O2 flux and O2-to-N 2 selectivity through a TPX/PDMS blend membrane plasma coated with vin yl acetate (PVAc-p-TPX/PDMS) at 10 W-20 min, were 0.81 x 10(-6) cm3 cm -2-s-1-cmHg-1 and 5.16, respectively. O2-to-N2 selectivity and pressur e-normalized O2 flux were higher than that of the pure TPX membrane.