A poly(arylene ether sulfone) hybrid membrane using titanium dioxide nanoparticles as the filler

Abstract

Poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PES)–titanium dioxide (TiO2) hybrid membranes were prepared via solution blending method using TiO2 nanoparticles as inorganic filler. The chemical structure and thermal stability of the matrix polymer were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The crystal structure, morphology, mechanical properties, and gas separation performance of hybrid membranes were characterized in detail. As shown in scanning electron microscopic images, TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed homogeneously in the matrix. Although the mechanical properties of hybrid membranes decreased certainly compared to the pure PES membranes, they are strong enough for gas separation in this study. All gas permeability coefficients of PES-TiO2 hybrid membranes were higher than pure PES membranes, attributed to the nanogap caused by TiO2 nanoparticles, for instance, oxygen and nitrogen permeability coefficients of Hybrid-3 (consists of PES with 4-amino-phenyl pendant group and hexafluoroisopropyl (Am-PES)-20 and TiO2 nanoparticles, 5 wt%) increased from 2.57 and 0.33 to 5.88 and 0.63, respectively. In addition, the separation factor increased at the same time attributed to the stimulative transfer effect caused by the interaction of hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 nanoparticle and polar carbon dioxide molecules.