Fa. Hamad et al., Sulfonated polyphenylene oxide-polyethersulfone thin-film composite membranes - Effect of counterions on the gas transport properties, J MEMBR SCI, 191(1-2), 2001, pp. 71-83
Thin film composite membranes based on sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SP
PO) as the top selective layer and PES ultrafiltration membrane as the supp
ort layer, were prepared. The effect of the support membrane pore size dist
ribution, and the effect of exchanging the proton of the sulfonic acid grou
ps with mono-, di- and trivalent cations on the gas transport properties of
the TFC membranes were studied. It was found that the resistance to gas pe
rmeation imposed by the PES support layer increased significantly upon expo
sure to the solvent in the coating solution. The differences in the perform
ance of the TFC membranes having different metal cation replacing the proto
n of the sulfonic acid groups were explained in terms of the metal cations'
electronegativities and sizes. Very high selectivity associated with reaso
nable permeance was obtained when the SPPO was in the Al3+-form. (C) 2001 E
lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.