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Preparation of Water-Selective Polybutadiene Membranes and Their Use in Drying Alcohols by Pervaporation and Vapor Permeation Technologies
Citation:
Vane, L., V. Namboodiri, G. Lin, M. Abar, AND F. Alvarez. Preparation of Water-Selective Polybutadiene Membranes and Their Use in Drying Alcohols by Pervaporation and Vapor Permeation Technologies. SCIENCE. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Washington, DC, 4(8):4442-4450, (2016).
Impact/Purpose:
This work is part of SHC Sustainable Materials Management task (SHC 3.63.2) to develop materials and processes to enable the reclamation of industrial solvents.
Description:
Separating azeotrope-forming solvent-water mixtures by conventional distillation poses technical, economic, and environmental challenges. Membrane technology using water-permselective membranes provides an efficient alternative for water removal from solvents. We present here a new class of water-selective materials, based on 1,2-polybutadiene, possessing resilient carbon-carbon bonds in both the polymer backbone and crosslink bonds, imparting resistance to swelling and hydrolysis, problems reported for traditional hydrophilic membrane materials. Exposure to UV radiation and/or heat converted portions of the vinyl groups in the polymer to crosslinks and hydrophilic functional groups, including alcohols, ketones, and carboxylic acids. In testing with a series of alcohols, such materials displayed high water permeabilities and stable performance over several months even at the extremes of 100% water, low water (2%), and an ethanol/water vapor at 115°C and 2.5 bar.
