Abstract
A novel concept for the use of an immiscible and non-meltable polymer, such as sodium polystyrene sulfonate (PSSNa), in order to prepare polyethylene non-woven breathable membranes is described. Membranes were fabricated by melt compounding of properly functionalized PE (P(E-co-AA)) and PSSNa (P(SSNa-co-GMA)) copolymers in the presence of water soluble polyethylene glycol (PEG). The inability of PSSNa derivatives to be melted was overcome by using PEG, which was easily meltable thus inducing PSSNa processability improvement. PEG was removed after membrane fabrication and therefore also acted as a porogen. Carbon nanotubes, functionalized with PSSNa moieties or alkyl groups, were also incorporated in the membranes with the aim of improving the porous connectivity and increasing the water vapor transmission rate. The morphology of the membranes was investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Water vapor transmission rate (permeation) (WVTR) measurements for the porous membranes showed increased values in comparison with the neat PE ones. A further increase of WVTR was observed with the addition of CNTs to the polymer membranes.
Highlights
In recent years, the most common and abundant group of commercially available membranes is represented by polymeric membranes, as they have a wide field of applications, including chemical [1], food [2] and pharmaceutical industries [3], water treatment [4], etc
The main objective of this paper is to provide an alternative technique for making cost-effective microporous films using conventional polyolefin material
polystyrene sulfonate (PSSNa)-g-Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hybrids were prepared, as previously described [28], using atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene sulfonate (SSNa) on Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-initiator [27], derived from MWCNTs functionalized with radical polymerization of SSNa on CNTs-initiator [27], derived from MWCNTs functionalized with hydroxyl groups
Summary
The most common and abundant group of commercially available membranes is represented by polymeric membranes, as they have a wide field of applications, including chemical [1], food [2] and pharmaceutical industries [3], water treatment [4], etc. The necessity for membranes with different separation properties is growing the interest in this research field. Several polymeric matrices have been used for the synthesis of breathable membranes. Polyolefins are highly attractive materials due to their abundance and low cost. Microporous films and composites have been made by using polyolefin material and inorganic fillers [7]. Special engineering fibers and their fabrics can be combined with these microporous films to achieve a variety of properties for practical applications
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