Pervaporation diffusion and transport through polymers

Abstract

The level of research and developmental activity in the field of Membrane Science and Technology has been rising dramatically all over the world. The development of new membranes and its utilization for the separation of liquids and gases is an important technique in membrane science and technology. High permeability, good selectivity and stability are the important factors in choosing membranes for pervaporation and other transport processes. This thesis presents the detailed investigation of the transport of organic solvents, vapours and gaseous molecules through poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) membranes. In this study poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) was vulcanized by peroxide technique using dicumyl peroxide and benzoyl peroxide. Uncrosslinked membranes were also prepared. The nature as well as the distribution of crosslinks controls the overall properties of these membranes. The feasibility of utilizing EVA membranes for the pervaporation separation has been examined. The high values of flux and selectivity showed that dicumyl peroxide modified membranes are effective in pervaporation separation. A new class of membranes, EVA/clay nanocomposite membranes was fabricated. These membranes showed super selectivity and gas barrier properties.