Kinetics of interfacial polycondensation reactions – Development of a new method and its validation

Abstract

The structure and function of the thin polymeric functional layer in reverse osmosis membranes depend on the kinetics of the interfacial polycondensation (IP) reaction by which the film is formed. It has been a challenge to achieve a quantitative understanding of these kinetics because of the high velocity of the reactions and the complex geometry of the support membrane in which the reaction takes place. In this work, we describe a novel and convenient technique for studying such kinetics, and demonstrate the method on the IP reaction between meta-phenylene diamine and trimesoyl chloride. The method involves studying the reaction in a simple geometry of a drop-continuous phase interface in an emulsion, under such conditions that all transport resistances are eliminated. The reaction course is followed through an on-line pH measurement using a fast probe. Interfacial areas available for reaction are measured by an encapsulation technique, under the conditions of reaction. The methods developed have been used to study the kinetics of the m-PDA-TMC reaction as a function of m-PDA concentration and surfactant (tween-85) concentration, and a surface-area based rate function has been shown to fit the data adequately.