Investigation of gas diffusion through films of fullerene-containing poly(phenylene oxide)

A study is made of the possibility of using fullerene-containing polymers a s materials for gas-separating membranes. Fullerene-containing poly(phenyle ne oxide) was prepared and its density and free volume were estimated. The coefficients of gas permeability and the selectivity factors for separation of air into oxygen and nitrogen were measured for poly(phenylene oxide) ha ving various fullerene contents. A correlation is established between the c hange in the transport properties and the free volume. It is shown that mod ifying poly(phenylene oxide) with fullerene is potentially useful for impro ving the transport properties of the membranes. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7850(99)01907-2].