Polymer membranes, applications

The range of electrical conductivity of various materials is illustrated in Figure 18. Many of the semiconductive or conductive polymer membrane applications involve optoelectronic applications discussed in the next section. Other applications where these polymer membranes are utilized include antistatic coatings, tantalum capacitor electrodes. 

Polymer Membranes These are used in filtration applications for fine-particle separations such as microfiltration and ultrafiltration (clarification involving the removal of l- Im and smaller particles). The membranes are made from a variety of materials, the commonest being cellulose acetates and polyamides. Membrane filtration, discussed in Sec. 22, has been well covered by Porter (in Schweitzer, op. cit., sec. 2.1). 

Gas Dehydration Water is extremely permeable in polymer membranes. Dehydration of air and other gases is a growing membrane application. 

A number of studies have recently been devoted to membrane applications [8, 100-102], Yoshikawa and co-workers developed an imprinting technique by casting membranes from a mixture of a Merrifield resin containing a grafted tetrapeptide and of linear co-polymers of acrylonitrile and styrene in the presence of amino acid derivatives as templates [103], The membranes were cast from a tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution and the template, usually N-protected d- or 1-tryptophan, removed by washing in more polar nonsolvents for the polymer (Fig. 6-17). Membrane applications using free amino acids revealed that only the imprinted membranes showed detectable permeation. Enantioselective electrodialysis with a maximum selectivity factor of ca. 7 could be reached, although this factor depended inversely on the flux rate [7]. Also, the transport mechanism in imprinted membranes is still poorly understood. 

For example, Novasina S.A. (www.novasina.com), a Swiss company specializing in the manufacture of devices to measure humidity in air, has developed a new sensor based on the non-synthetic application of an ionic liquid. The new concept makes simple use of the close correlation between the water uptake of an ionic liquid and its conductivity increase. In comparison with existing sensors based on polymer membranes, the new type of ionic liquid sensor shows significantly faster response times (up to a factor of 2.5) and less sensitivity to cross contamination (with alcohols, for example). Each sensor device contains about 50 pi of ionic liquid, and the new sensor system became available as a commercial product in 2002. Figure 9-1 shows a picture of the sensor device containing the ionic liquid, and Figure 9-2 displays the whole humidity analyzer as commercialized by Novasina S.A.. 

Most membranes are manufactured from synthetic polymers The application of such membranes is generally... 

Mohr G.J., Wolfbeis O.S., Application of Potential-Sensitive Fluorescent Dyes in Anion-Sensitive and Cation-Sensitive Polymer Membranes, G Sensor Actuat B-Chem. 1997 37 103. 

J.H. Yun, V.C. Yang, and M.E. Meyerhoff, Protamine-sensitive polymer membrane electrode characterization and bioanalytical applications. Anal. Biochem. 224, 212-220 (1995). 

The use of silicones in membrane applications is relatively new. It is, however, a rapidly growing area as evidenced by a number of original papers and reviews published recently. Pervaporation with the use of polymer membranes has been recognized as a versatile separation process in the chemical industry.458 A study of PDMS as an active layer in the composite pervaporation membranes for separation of alcohols and esters has been reported.459 Two-dimensional... 

Poly (VinylAlcohol)[PVA]-Based Polymer Membranes Synthesis and Applications... 

In recent years, extensive work has been reported on the synthesis, characterization and applications of zeoUte membranes [5]. ZeoUte membranes are capable of overcoming some of the challenges facing polymer membranes. Under conditions where polymer membranes cannot be used zeolite membranes have the potential... 

The unique properhes of zeolite materials combined with the conhnuous separahon properhes of membranes make zeolite membranes very attrachve for a wide range of separahon and catalysis applications. Zeolite membranes, however, have poor processability, poor mechanical stability and are much more expensive than the commercial polymer membranes with current state-of-the-art membrane manufacturing process. So far, the only large-scale commercial zeolite membrane is the A-type zeolite membrane and it has been used for dehydrahon of alcohols [22]. Further advancement in making thinner zeolite membranes and continuous improvement in membrane produchon techniques and reproducibility will make zeolite membranes more successful in commercial applicahons. 

Sulfonated EPDMs are formulated to form a number of rubbery products including adhesives for footwear, garden hoses, and in the formation of calendered sheets. Perfluori-nated ionomers marketed as Nation (DuPont) are used for membrane applications including chemical-processing separations, spent-acid regeneration, electrochemical fuel cells, ion-selective separations, electrodialysis, and in the production of chlorine. It is also employed as a solid -state catalyst in chemical synthesis and processing. lonomers are also used in blends with other polymers. 

Figure 5.7 shows a typical application of gas-diffusion membranes isolation of the circulating sample from a voltammetric or potentiometric electrode for the electrochemical determination of gaseous species. The ion-selective electrode depicted in this Figure includes a polymer membrane containing nonactin that is used for the potentiometric determination of ammonia produced in biocatalytic reactions. Interferences from alkali metal ions are overcome by covering the nonactin membrane with an outer hydro-... 

Recent research in the field of polymer membrane ion-selective electrodes [389-391], has revealed that their se-lectivities [392-396] and limits of detections [394-397] could be improved by several orders of magnitude. The review of Bakker and Pretsch [398] summarized recent progress in the development and application of potentiometric sensors with low detection limit in the range 10-8-10-11 M. 

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