Abstract
Two-ply composite membranes with separation layers from chitosan and sulfoethylcellulose were developed on a microporous support based on poly(diphenylsulfone-N-phenylphthalimide) and investigated by use of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy methods. The pervaporation properties of the membranes were studied for the separation of aqueous alcohol (ethanol, propan-2-ol) mixtures of different compositions. When the mixtures to be separated consist of less than 15 wt % water in propan-2-ol, the membranes composed of polyelectrolytes with the same molar fraction of ionogenic groups (-NH3+ for chitosan and -SO3− for sulfoethylcellulose) show high permselectivity (the water content in the permeate was 100%). Factors affecting the structure of a non-porous layer of the polyelectrolyte complex formed on the substrate surface and the contribution of that complex to changes in the transport properties of membranes are discussed. The results indicate significant prospects for the use of chitosan and sulfoethylcellulose for the formation of highly selective pervaporation membranes.
Highlights
Increasing attention is being paid to the formation of interpolymer complexes
Two-ply membranes were produced by first forming an asymmetric microporous support
The analysis of the pervaporation data shows that the CS-SEC membranes are highly selective for the separation of propan-2-ol/water mixtures but are less selective for the separation of water/ethanol mixtures
Summary
One useful component for the creation of these complexes is the relatively rigid-chain chitosan (CS), which has ionogenic groups that allow the formation of intermolecular ion-ion and ion-dipole bonds. This means that CS can improve the mechanical properties of the resulting films, thereby increasing their potential possibilities for different applications. The interaction of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte molecules results in the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) that show high hydrophilicity. This feature allows PECs to serve as effective flocculants and structurants, while their films function as semipermeable membranes and coatings, including those used in medicine. PEC films have been successfully used in the separation of water-organic mixtures by pervaporation (PV) [1]
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