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Two linear phosphazene polymers were synthesized with differing amounts of hydrophilic 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethanol (MEE) and hydrophobic 4-methoxyphenol (MEOP) substituted on the backbone. These high polymers were cast into membranes and their permeability to water, methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol was evaluated as a function of temperature. An additional polymer with a low content of MEE was studied for water permeation and was characterized by trace flux. At higher levels of MEE on the backbone, fluxes of all solvents increased. Solubility also was found to increase with increasing MEE content for all solvents except water. Unexpectedly, water was found to be less soluble in the higher MEE polymer, although higher membrane fluxes were observed. Diffusion coefficients showed the following trend: methanol Ͼ Ͼ 2-propanol Ͼ ethanol Ͼ Ͼ water. Finally, the affinity of solvents and polymers was discussed in terms of Hansen solubility parameters.

A series of new polyphosphazene polymers were synthesized using three different pendant groups with the goal of probing structure–function relationships between pendant group substitution and polymer swelling/water flux through thin dense films. Formation of polymers with relative degrees of hydrophilicity was probed by varying the stoichiometry of the pendant groups attached to the phosphazene backbone: p‐methoxyphenol, 2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethanol, and o‐allylphenol. The polymers in this study were characterized using NMR, thermal methods, and dilute solution light‐scattering techniques. These techniques revealed that the polymers were amorphous high polymers (Mw = 105–107) with varying ratios of pendant groups as determined by integration of the 1H‐ and 31P‐NMR spectra. Thin dense film membranes were solution‐cast with azo‐bis(cyclohexane)carbonitrile included in the matrix and crosslinked using thermal initiation. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 422–431, 2001

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