Pebax®-based membranes

CO2 Permeation with Pebax -based Membranes for Global Warming Reduction... 

Poly(amide-b-ethylene oxide) copolymers were presented in 1990 as a promising membrane material [43]. These block copolymers were developed in 1972 but in 1981 began to be used for commercial purpose under the trade name Pebax , produced by ATOCHEM [44] (now ARKEMA). Another important group of segmented poly(ester)s used for membranes are block copolymers based on PEO and PBT (poly(butylene tereph-thalate), known under commercial name of Polyactive [45]. By changing the polyamide and polyether segment, molecnlar mass and the content of each block, the mechanical, chemical, and physical properties are nicely tnned as well [46]. 

Pebax 1657-based Blend Membrane Structure and Properties... 

Detailed information on the synthesis of PEBA is presented in Chapters 2 and 10 and also in [13-16]. However, it is worth mentioning here that commercially available poly (ether- -amide) PEBAX copolymers are synthesized by melt polycondensation of carboxylic acid-terminated amide blocks with poly-(oxyalkylene glycol)s. The polymerization is catalyzed by a metal alkoxide Ti(OR)4 and is carried out at elevated temperatures of ca. 230°C under vacuum. These copolymers are marketed for use in many areas, a few of which include sports equipment, automotive components, applications that require polymers with antistatic properties, and also in biomedical applications, such as tubing and catheter balloons [17]. There is also a growing body of literature on the use of PEBAX in the manufacture of membranes for gas separations. Vestamid E-Series elastomers marketed by Degussa-Htils are another commercial example of PTMO-PA12 based PEBA copolymers. 

Sorption-enhanced polymer membranes are beneficial to obtain superior permeability as well as advanced selectivity especially for carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and VOCs because condensable gas molecules are easier to be adsorbed on the polymer surface." Recent research has focused on incorporating ethylene oxide into a polymer backbone, which has unique interaction with quadruple momentum of carbon dioxide poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), cross-linked PEO, PEO-based block copolymers such as poly(ethylene oxide-Z)-amide) (Pebax), poly(ethylene oxide- -butylene terephthalate) (PEO-6-PBT)." ... 

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