Petroleum Chemistry, Vol.55, No.10, 803-809, 2015
Gas permeability of homogeneous and composite membranes based on poly(trimethylsilylpropyne)/poly(vinyltrimethylsilane) blends
Gas transport properties of membranes based on a blend of two silicon-hydrocarbon polymers, poly(trimethylsilylpropyne) (PTMSP) and poly(vinyltrimethylsilane) (PVTMS), have been investigated. The N-2 and CO2 permeability of the membranes decreases by two orders of magnitude, and CO2/N-2 selectivity increases about threefold with increasing PVTMS content in the blend from 0 to 100%. The effect of the volume contraction of the membranes has been found. The results of the experiments and calculations showed that the membrane properties throughout all the range of concentrations are in good agreement with the single-phase blend permeability model. The results of the research open the possibility of preparing PTMSP/PVTMS membranes with stable gas separation properties combining a high permeability of PTMSP and a rather high selectivity of PVTMS.