Polymeric Membrane Materials and Potential Use in Gas Separation

School of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea 

Advanced Membrane Technology and Applications. Edited by Norman N. Li, Anthony G. Fane, W. S. Winston Ho, and T. Matsuura Copyright 2008 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 

Despite a long history, it was not until 150 years later that gas separations using polymer membranes became a reality in the gas separation industry. Until the 1970s, the dense polymer membranes available were too thick to obtain the high permeation flux required for practical applications. The development of the Loeb-Sourirajan process for making defect-free, high-flux, ultrathin asymmetric membranes for RO was a milestone in membrane history (Loeb and Sourirajan, 1963). Since that time, many polymer membranes based upon asymmetric membranes and their modules have been developed and evaluated in pilot-scale for MF, UF, and RO applications (Baker, 2000). 

In this chapter, current research trends of polymer membranes for gas separation are discussed. This review reports on significant polymer membrane materials highlighted in academia and industry, together with existing and potential gas separation applications. Many commercial polymer membranes such as polysulfones, cellulose acetates, polycarbonates, and polyimides are omitted because they were already discussed in previous reviews. Polymeric membranes receiving increased attention, such as siloxane polymers, amorphous 

Gas permeation through a nonporous dense polymer membrane is described using a solution-diffusion model in which the permeability coefficient (Pa) [cm standard temperature and pressure (STP) cm/cm s cm Hg] of gas molecule A is the product of a diffusion coefficient (Da) (cm /s) and a solubility coefficient (Sa) (cm -gas/cm -polymer cm Hg)  

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POLYMERIC MEMBRANE MATERIALS AND POTENTIAL USE IN GAS SEPARATION (a) Nitrogen-Enriched Air... 

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