Polyethersulfone Block Copolymers for Membrane Applications

Abstract

Polyarylethersulfones (polysulfone: PSU, polyethersulfone: PESU) belong to the group of established membrane materials and are mainly used for production of ultra‐ and microfiltration membranes. They offer several advantageous properties like hydrolysis and chemical resistance, mechanical strength and bio‐compatibility. A general drawback of these polymers compared to the more polar membrane materials cellulosetriacetate or polyacrylonitrile is the hydrophobic nature of the polyarylethersulfone which can be quantified by the contact angle versus water. An improved synthetic pathway to segmented block copolymers based on polyarylethersulfones and various aliphatic polyethers is presented as well as the characterization of the obtained block copolymers and their use for membrane preparation.

Synthesis and Characterization of Copoly(Ether Sulfone)s with Different Percentages of Diphenolic Acid Units

“…The number-average sequential length of the ESES (L ESES ) and ESDPA (L ESDPA ) repeat units are calculated by the following Equations (14) and (15):…”

“…Engineering thermoplastic aromatic poly(ether sulfone)s (PES)s show remarkable chemical and thermal stability, excellent strength and flexibility, transparency, as well as high glass transition temperature, good film forming properties, resistance to hydrolysis and oxidation processes, good optical properties, resistance to extreme pH values, and low creep [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. As a function of their inherent properties, (PES)s have found remarkable application in the fields of materials science, biology and polymer science .…”

“…Engineering thermoplastic aromatic poly(ether sulfone)s (PES)s show remarkable chemical and thermal stability, excellent strength and flexibility, transparency, as well as high glass transition temperature, good film forming properties, resistance to hydrolysis and oxidation processes, good optical properties, resistance to extreme pH values, and low creep [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. As a function of their inherent properties, (PES)s have found remarkable application in the fields of materials science, biology and polymer science [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. However, despite the remarkable progress in their synthesis and applications, the materials have some limitations, including stress cracking with certain solvents, poor resistance to cracking and weathering.…”

Thermal Degradation Processes of Aromatic Poly(Ether Sulfone) Random Copolymers Bearing Pendant Carboxyl Groups

“…Aromatic poly(ether sulfones) (PESs) are thermoplastic materials of great engineering performance with high glass transition temperature, high chemical and thermal stability, good mechanical properties, and excellent resistance to hydrolysis and oxidation [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. These polymers have aroused a remarkable scientific and industrial interest, founding applications as adhesives for metal-to-metal bonds [ 2 ], membranes for separating gases and solids from solution or isolation of proteins [ 3 ], matrices for fiber-reinforced composites, as toughening agents for thermosetting resins [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] and for the manufacture of optical waveguiding materials [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…The thermal degradation behaviors of the copolymers were compared with those of the corresponding homopolymers: P(ESES) (commonly noted as PES) and P(ESDPA), synthesized in the same experimental conditions. As the knowledge of the degradation pattern of a polymer is an important step in choosing a material for product manufacture, the thermal degradation of either the homopolymers (PESs) [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ] or copoly(arylene ether sulfone) (referred as PES-PPO) was extensively studied [ 13 ]. Considerable efforts have been made to reveal the thermal degradation mechanisms and the thermal degradation products by mass spectrometry [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 32 , 33 ], thermogravimetry [ 30 ] and gas chromatography [ 31 ].…”