Influence of support layer and PDMS coating conditions on composite membrane performance for ethanol/water separation by pervaporation

A systematic study was performed on the combination of support properties and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating conditions for the lab‐scale preparation of a defect‐free, thin film composite membrane for organophilic pervaporation. Support layers having comparable surface porosities were prepared from three polymers with different chemical composition (PVDF, PSF, PI). Their exact role on the deposition of the PDMS coating (i.e., wetting and intrusion) and the final membrane performance (i.e., effect on mass transfer of the permeants) was studied. The crosslinking behavior of dilute PDMS solutions was studied by viscosity measurements to optimize the coating layer thickness, support intrusion and wetting. It was found essential to pre‐crosslink the PDMS solution for a certain time prior to the coating. Dip time for coating the PDMS solution on the supports was varied by using automated dip coating machine. The performance of the synthesized membranes was tested in the separation of ethanol/water mixtures by pervaporation. Both flux and selectivity of the membranes were clearly influenced by the support layer. Resistance of the support layers increased by increasing the polymer concentration in the casting solutions of the supports. Increasing the dip time of the PDMS coating solution led to increased selectivity of the composite membranes. Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis of the composite membranes showed that this leads to a minor increase in the thickness of the PDMS top layer. Top layer thickness increased linearly with the square root of the dip time (t^0.5) at a constant withdrawal speed of the support. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43670.     

Preparation of a hydrophobically enhanced antifouling isotactic polypropylene/silicone dioxide flat‐sheet membrane via thermally induced phase separation for vacuum membrane distillation

Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) hydrophobic flat‐sheet membranes were fabricated for use in vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) through a thermally induced phase‐separation process with dispersing hydrophobically modified SiO₂ nanoparticles in the casting solution to achieve a higher hydrophobicity and to sustain a stable flux in VMD. The contact angle (CA) measurements indicated that the incorporation of nano‐SiO₂ into a casting solution mixture containing 20 wt % iPP had a 20.9% higher CA relative to that of SiO₂‐free membranes. The addition of nano‐SiO₂ also induced morphological changes in the membrane structure, including changes in the pore size distribution, porosity, and suppression of macrovoids. The pore size distribution of the iPP–SiO₂ membranes became narrower compared with that of the SiO₂‐free membranes, and the porosity also improved from 35.45 to 59.75% with SiO₂ addition. The average pore size and maximum pore size of the iPP–SiO₂ membranes both decreased. The ability of the membranes to concentrate an astragalus aqueous solution (a type of traditional Chinese medicine) with VMD was investigated. The surface hydrophobicity and antifouling performance of the iPP–SiO₂ membranes improved with nano‐SiO₂ addition to the membrane casting solution. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42615.     

Complex membrane of cellulose and chitin nanocrystals with cationic guar gum for oil/water separation

In an effort to develop a membrane system with low cost and easy fabrication process for oil/water separation, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), chitin nanocrystals (ChiNC), and cationic guar gum (CGG) are used to prepare a complex membrane on top of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nonwoven fabric via a vacuum filtration method. The interactions among CNC, ChiNC, and CGG complexation are discussed, and the functionalization of the PET nonwoven fabric with these polysaccharide derivatives provides a high rate of water absorption and permeability on applying pressure. The morphology and wettability studies demonstrate that the as-prepared membrane has a porous structure and exhibits hydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties. The results of separation experiments show that the membrane can effectively separate oil/water emulsions with a relatively high flux and rejection ratio. This low-cost process can easily be scaled up to fabricate complex membranes for oil/water separation. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47947.     

Preparation and characterization of hydrophilic and antifouling poly(ether sulfone) ultrafiltration membranes modified with Zn–Al layered double hydroxides

Zn–Al layered double hydroxide (LDH)‐entrapped poly(ether sulfone) (PES) ultrafiltration membranes with four different weight percentages, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0%, were prepared by a phase‐inversion method. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and contact angle (CA), equilibrium water content, porosity, average pore size, mechanical strength, and ζ potential measurement were used to evaluate the morphological structure and physical and chemical properties of membranes. Static protein adsorption, filtration, and rejection experiments were conducted to study the antifouling properties, water permeability, and removal ability of the modified membranes. The results show that significant change occurred in the membrane morphology and that better hydrophilicity, water permeability, and antifouling ability were also achieved for the PES/LDH membranes when a proper amount of LDH was used. For example, the CA value decreased from 66.60 to 50.21°, and the pure water flux increased from 80.21 to 119.10 L m^?2 h^?1 bar^?1 when the LDH loading was increased from 0 to 2.0 wt %. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43988.     

Preparation and characterization of polybutylene‐succinate/poly(ethylene‐glycol)/cellulose nanocrystals ternary composites

Ternary composites were prepared by twin screw extrusion from polybutylene‐succinate (PBS), poly(ethylene‐glycol) (PEG), and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The aim of the work is to improve the physical–mechanical properties of PBS by the addition of CNC. A PEG/CNC masterbatch was prepared in order to achieve a good dispersion of hydrophilic CNC in the hydrophobic PBS. The influence of the nanoparticle content on the polymer properties was studied. Regarding the thermal properties fractioned crystallization phenomena of PEG was observed during cooling from the melt. No significant nucleating effect of the nanocellulose was observed. The material containing 4 wt % of CNC showed the best mechanical performance among the nanocomposites studied due to the combination of high modulus and elongation at break with a low detrimental in strength compared with the PBS/PEG blend. Moreover, no nanocellulose agglomerations were observed in its FESEM micrograph. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43302.     

Preparation and properties of hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride)–SiO2 mixed matrix membranes for dissolved oxygen removal from water

The application of the membrane method for removing dissolved oxygen (DO) from water on the laboratory scale was studied. Flat mixed matrix membranes were composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and hydrophobic nanosilica particles, which were used to improve the DO removal process. The SiO₂ particles were modified by a silane coupling agent and examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was shown that the surface of the SiO₂ particles was bonded to hydrophobic long‐chain alkane groups through chemical bonding. The effects of adding SiO₂ particles on the membrane properties and morphology were examined. The results show that the porosity and pore size of the membrane were affected by the introduction of SiO₂ particles, and the cross‐sectional morphology of the PVDF composite membranes changed from fingerlike macrovoids to a spongelike structure. The membrane performance of DO removal was evaluated through the membrane unit by a vacuum degassing process. It was found that the SiO₂/PVDF hybrid membranes effectively improved the oxygen removal efficiency compared with the original PVDF membranes. The maximum permeation flux was obtained when the loading amount was 2.5 wt %. The effect of the downstream vacuum level was also investigated. The experimental results show that the SiO₂/PVDF hybrid membranes had superior performances and could be an alternative membrane for removing DO from water. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40430.     

Spray-coated PDMS/PVDF composite membrane for enhanced butanol recovery by pervaporation

In this study, spray-coating was used to prepare dihydroxypolydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite membranes with high flux and separation factor for biobutanol recovery from aqueous solution. A thin, smooth, and defect-free PDMS layer was prepared by spray-coating on polyvinylidene difluoride ultrafiltration membrane with little PDMS penetration. The effects of process parameters for membrane fabrication and pervaporation on membrane performance were investigated. A membrane with 2 μm active layer was obtained with a high flux of 1306.9 g/m² h. The optimal membrane with the highest pervaporation separation index (PSI) (19.15 kg/m² h) showed a total flux of 530.6 g/m² h and a separation factor of 36.1 at 37°C, and a PSI of 65.61 kg/m² h and a flux of 1927.0 g/m² h at 70°C. Membrane performance was affected by feed composition and temperature. Acetone-butanol-ethanol solution and fermentation broth gave lower butanol fluxes and separation factors compared to butanol model solution.     

Preparation and properties of polyvinyl chloride ultrafiltration membranes blended with functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes and MWCNTs/Fe3O4 hybrids

To investigate the influence of magnetic materials combined with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as fillers on the membrane properties, multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) functionalized by mixed acids (V_H2SO4:V_HNO3=3:1) were loaded by Fe₃O₄ through a hydrothermal method. The obtained MWCNTs/Fe₃O₄ hybrids were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared spectroscopy (IR) spectrum, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and then blended with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to prepare ultrafiltration (UF) membranes through a phase inversion process. Simultaneously, two other UF membranes, PVC blended with acid‐treated MWCNTs and PVC blended with nothing, were also prepared. The results showed that the membrane porosity and mean pore size increased slightly with the addition of fillers. Static contact angle showed that MWCNTs/Fe₃O₄ hybrids improved the hydrophilicity of membrane surface better than the acid‐treated MWCNTs. Pure water flux increased consistently with the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface. SEM and atomic force microscope (AFM) images showed that the MWCNTs/Fe₃O₄ blended membrane formed a relatively complete pore structure throughout the cross‐section and had a rougher top surface. However, the mechanical properties of membranes with fillers were reduced compared with the pristine PVC membrane. The rejections of membranes for Bovine serum albumin (BSA), Bisphenol A (BPA), and Norfloxacin (NOR) showed that MWCNTs/Fe₃O₄ played an important role in trapping pollutants in membrane filtration. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43417.     

Fabrication of nanodiamond‐based composite monolithic column and its application in separation of small molecules

A nanodiamond‐based composite monolithic column was fabricated by redox initiation for high‐performance liquid chromatography. In the fabrication process, functionalized nanodiamond was used as the functional monomer, dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate and 1,10‐decanediol diacrylate as cross‐linking agents, polyethylene glycol 400 and 1‐propanol as coporogens, and dibenzoyl peroxide and N,N‐dimethyl aniline as initiators. Compared to polymer monolithic columns without nanodiamond, a nanodiamond‐based composite monolithic column prepared under the same conditions exhibited relatively high resolution and efficiency. Characterizations of the resulting nanocomposite were carried out, including scanning electron microscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm measurement, and thermogravimetric analysis. The ND‐based composite monolith exhibited a uniform and reticular skeleton microstructure, thermal stability, and mechanical stability. In addition, the nanodiamond‐based composite monolithic column was used to separate a series of small molecules with good resolution and reproducibility in high‐performance liquid chromatography. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43776.     

A highly selective polybenzimidazole‐4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoic acid) membrane for high‐temperature hydrogen separation

A polymeric gas separation membrane utilizing polybenzimidazole based on 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoic acid) was prepared. The synthesized membrane has an effective permeating area of 8.3 cm² and a thickness of 30 ± 2 µm. Gas permeation properties of the membrane were determined using H₂, CO₂, CO, and N₂ at temperatures ranging from 24°C to 200°C. The PBI‐HFA membranes not only exhibited excellent H₂ permeability, but it also displayed superior gas separation performance particularly for H₂/N₂ and H₂/CO₂. The permeation parameters for both permeability and selectivity [ and α(H₂/N₂); and α(H₂/CO₂)] obtained for the new material were found to be dependent on trans‐membrane pressure difference as well as temperature, and were found to surpass those reported by Robeson in 2008. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42371.     

Influence of copper oxide nanomaterials in a poly(ether sulfone) membrane for improved humic acid and oil–water separation

In this study, self‐synthesized copper(I) oxide (Cu₂O) nanoparticles were incorporated in poly(ether sulfone) (PES) mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs) through the phase‐inversion method. A cubic arrangement and crystallite size of 28 nm was identified by transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) for the as‐synthesized Cu₂O particles. The pristine PES membrane had a higher contact angle value of 88.50°, which was significantly reduced up to 50.10° for 1.5 wt % PES/Cu₂O MMMs. Moreover, XRD analysis of the Cu₂O‐incorporated PES membrane exhibited a new diffraction pattern at 36.46°. This ensured that the Cu₂O nanoparticles were distributed well in the PES matrix. Interestingly, the water permeability progressively improved up to 66.72 × 10^?9 m s^?1 kPa^?1 for 1.5 wt % PES/Cu₂O MMMs. Furthermore, the membrane performances were also evaluated with different feed solutions: (1) bovine serum albumin, (2) humic acid, and (3) oil–water. The enhanced rejection and lower flux reduction percentage were observed for hybrid membranes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43873.     

Peroxopolyoxometalate nanoparticles blended PES membrane with improved hydrophilicity,anti-fouling,permeability, and dye separation properties

Poly(ethersulfone) (PES) is one of the polymers most widely used for the fabrication of ultrafiltration or nanofiltration membranes in various applications, but its membrane suffers from fouling. In this study, preparation, characterization, and performance of PES nanocomposite membrane comprising peroxopolyoxometalate nanoparticles was studied to provide improved permeability and anti-fouling properties. The high oxygen ratio of the PW₄ nanoparticles could enhance the hydrophilicity of the membranes. The PW₄ nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction analyses. The mixed matrix membranes were fabricated using a non-solvent induced phase-separation method. The fabricated membranes were characterized using atomic force microscopy, attenuated total reflection, SEM, EDX mapping, total average porosity, thermogravimetric analyze, and water contact angle experiments. The dye flux and rejection, pure water permeability and anti-fouling properties of the membranes were investigated. All of the membranes blended by different contents of the PW₄ nanoparticles presented better performance compared to the unmodified membrane. The filtration performance of the membranes in reactive green 19 (RG19) and reactive yellow 160 (RY160) dye separation showed that all of the PW₄ blended membranes possessed dye rejection greater than 86% and 96% for RY160 and RG19, respectively. The reusability test using bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein and RG19 dye solutions in five cycle experiments presented good reproductivity of the PW₄ blended membranes. The PES membrane containing 1 wt% of PW₄ nanoparticles showed the highest flux recovery ratio (75%) as well as reduced irreversible fouling ratio (8%) through BSA protein filtration.     

Deoxygenation performance of polydimethylsiloxane mixed‐matrix membranes for dissolved oxygen removal from water

The removal of dissolved oxygen (DO) from water is an essential and important step in many industrial applications. The membrane technique offers much potential superiority over conventional physical and chemical processes. The development of a high‐performance membrane is the core of the membrane separation technique. In this study, a crosslinked matrix composed of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane with incorporated silica networks by the sol–gel method was manufactured. The application of the membrane method for the removal of DO from water on the laboratory scale was studied. The membrane properties and morphological structure were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, crosslinking density, and mechanical measurements. The PDMS hybrid membranes on the deoxygenation experiment by a vacuum degassing process were investigated. The results show that the crosslinked PDMS hybrid membranes effectively improved the oxygen‐removal efficiency with increasing tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) content, and the best performance was obtained when the weight ratio of PDMS–TEOS concentrations was 10:5. The optimal conditions for the deoxygenation performance were also investigated, and the results indicate that the degassing performances were related to the operating temperature, vacuum level, and feed flow rate. The PDMS nonporous composite membranes showed superior performances and have good potential for applications in industry for the removal of DO from water. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41350.     

Modified zeolitic–midazolate framework 8/poly(ether‐block‐amide) mixed‐matrix membrane for propylene and propane separation

In this study, we fabricated a dual‐layer PES–poly(ether‐block‐amide) (PEBA) composite membrane that included zeolitic–midazolate framework 8 (ZIF‐8) particles and evaluated it for propylene and propane separation under pure and mixed feed conditions. To improve the performance, compatibility, and distribution of particles in the polymer matrix, the ZIF‐8 particles were modified by 3‐(triethoxysilyl) propyl amine (APTES) and 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl amine (APTMS) amino silane coupling agents. Particle modification did not have much effect on the structure and particle size and slightly reduced the membrane specific surface area. The modified particles tended to be in the soft section. At the high loading rate of modified particles, their appropriate compatibility increased the membrane gas permeability () and selectivity. APTES with the proper chain length compared with APTMS had a higher and the same selectivity. The best performance (by 32.1 gpu) was found in PES–PEBA–ZIF‐8–APTES 20%. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46273.     

Studies on the surface properties of mixed‐matrix membrane and its antifouling properties for humic acid removal

A major factor limiting the use of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane in water treatment process is the membrane fouling by natural organic matter such as humic acid (HA). In this work, neat PVDF and PVDF/TiO₂ mixed‐matrix membranes were prepared and compared in terms of their antifouling properties. Two commercial types of TiO₂ namely PC‐20 and P25 were embedded to prepare the mixed matrix membranes via in situ colloidal precipitation method. The contact angles for the mixed‐matrix membranes were slightly reduced while the zeta potential was increased (more negatively charged) compared with the neat membrane. Filtration of HA with the presence of Ca²⁺ demonstrated that mixed‐matrix membrane could significantly mitigate the fouling tendency compared with the neat membrane with flux ratio (J/J₀) of 0.65, 0.70, and 0.82 for neat PVDF membrane, PVDF/TiO₂ mixed‐matrix membrane embedded with P25 and PC‐20, respectively. PC‐20 with higher anatase polymorphs exhibited better antifouling properties due to its hydrophilicity nature. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Thin film composite forward osmosis membranes with poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) grafted nano‐TiO2 as additive in substrate

The poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) grafted titanium dioxide nanoparticles were synthesized and added to the substrate of flat‐sheet thin film composite forward osmosis (TFC‐FO) membranes. The hydrophilicity of substrate was improved, which was advantageous to enhance the water flux of TFC‐FO membranes. The membranes containing a 3 wt % TiO₂‐PHEMA in the substrate exhibited a finger‐like structure combined with sponge‐like structure, while those with lower or without TiO₂‐PHEMA content showed fully finger‐like structures. As for FO performance, the TFC‐FO membranes with 3 wt % TiO₂‐PHEMA content achieved the highest water flux of 42.8 LMH and 24.2 LMH against the DI water using 2M NaCl as the draw solution tested under the active layer against draw solution (AL‐DS) mode and active layer against feed solution (AL‐FS) mode, respectively. It was proven that the hydrophilic property of membrane substrates was a strong factor influencing the water flux in FO tests. Furthermore, the structural parameter was remarkably decreased with an increase of TiO₂‐PHEMA content in membrane substrate, indicating the reducing of internal concentration polarization. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43719.     

Preparation and characterization of electrospun PLA/nanocrystalline cellulose‐based composites

Biodegradable nanocomposites of Nanocrystalline Cellulose (NCC) and electrospun poly‐(lactic acid) were prepared via a new mixing technique. Dispersion of hydrophilic NCC in hydrophobic PLA was improved through aqueous mixing and freeze drying of perfectly suspended NCC with PLA nanofibers. Freeze drying produced aerogels with good mechanical integrity. The aerogels were further processed via hot pressing. Resulting composites displayed an improvement in mechanical properties, which was greatest at temperatures below the glass transition temperature of PLA. The optimum compositions were found to be in the 0.5–3% NCC (by weight) range. Experiments performed also showed that due to electrospinning, the crystallinity of the PLA slightly increased and this is accompanied by a decrease in its glass transition temperature. Furthermore, adding NCC to the electrospun PLA matrix did not alter the crystallinity of the final composite. The composites investigated proved their potential to be used in packaging and tissue engineering applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3345–3354, 2013     

Superior Pebax-1657/amine-modified halloysite nanotubes mixed-matrix membranes to improve the CO2/CH4 separation efficiency

In the present study, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were firstly functionalized using N-β-(aminoethyl)-γ-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane and then employed as nanofillers to fabricate mixed-matrix membranes including poly (ether-block-amide) polymer as the primary material. To characterize the HNTs, as well as the obtained membranes, thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and Field emission scanning electron microscopy analyses were employed. Effects of the modified and pure HNTs loadings, as well as feed pressure on CH₄ and CO₂ permeabilities and ideal CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of the prepared membranes, were surveyed. The experimental permeation results indicated that incorporation of 1.5 wt% of amine-functionalized HNTs into the polymer matrix improves CO₂ permeability and the ideal selectivity by nearly 37 and 24%, respectively, due to the higher CO₂ adsorption capacity of the amine-functionalized HNTs.     

Preparation and application of tectoridin‐imprinted magnetite nanoparticles

In this work, the tectoridin‐imprinted magnetite nanoparticles (TIMNPs) were firstly prepared by using tectoridin as template molecule, methacrylic acid as functional monomer, styrene as crosslinking agent, and superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ particles as magnetic component. TIMNPs with a size of about 161 nm were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Rebinding experiments were carried out to determine the specific binding properties and adsorption selectivity. The maximum number of binding sites was 69.58 μmol/g and there was only one kind of binding sites existed in TIMNPs. The relative separation factors for tectoridin with its analogues such as baicalin and atenolol were 2.63 and 2.66, respectively. The results indicated that the synthesized TIMNPs had excellent saturation magnetization, binding capacity, and absorption selectivity. TIMNPs could be one of the most promising candidates for tectoridin extraction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43806.     

Surface‐modified MgO nanoparticle enhances the mechanical and direct‐current electrical characteristics of polypropylene/polyolefin elastomer nanodielectrics

Polypropylene (PP)/polyolefin elastomer (POE) blends and MgO/PP/POE nanocomposites were fabricated by melt blending. The morphology, mechanical, and electrical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface‐modified MgO nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polymer matrix at low loadings of less than 3 phr. X‐ray diffraction demonstrated that the crystalline phases of PP in the composites were changed and that the β phase significantly increased. An examination of the electrical properties revealed that the direct‐current (dc) electric breakdown strength and space‐charge suppression effect were remarkably improved by the introduction of the surface‐modified MgO nanoparticles. In addition, obvious enhancements in the tensile modulus and strength were obtained as a result of the synergistic toughening of the POE and MgO nanoparticles. Thus, MgO/PP/POE nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties have great potential to be used as recyclable insulation materials for high‐voltage dc cables with large transmission capacities and high operating temperatures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 132, 42863.