Synthesis and characterization of poly(ether‐block‐amide) membranes for the pervaporation of organic/aqueous mixtures

We made poly(ether‐block‐amide) membranes by casting a solution on a nonsolvent surface. The effects of the solvent ratio (n‐butanol/isopropyl alcohol), temperature, and polymer concentration on the quality of the membranes were studied. The results show that the film quality was enhanced with increasing isopropyl alcohol ratio in the solvent. This behavior was related to the reduction of the solution surface tension and the interfacial tension between the solution and nonsolvent. Uniform films were made at a temperature range of 70–80°C and a polymer concentration of 4–7 wt %. The morphology of the membranes was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The qualities of the films improved with increasing isopropyl alcohol ratio in the solvent. With these membranes, the pervaporation of ethyl butyrate (ETB)/water and isopropyl alcohol/water mixtures was studied, and high separation performance was achieved. For ETB/water mixtures, with increasing ETB content, both the permeation flux and separation factor increased. However, for isopropyl alcohol/water mixtures, with increasing isopropyl alcohol content, the permeation flux increased, but the separation factor was diminished. Increasing temperature in a limited range resulted in a decreasing separation factor and an increasing permeation flux. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008