Structural Design of P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS Hybrid Membranes for Removal of Benzene from Water by Pervaporation

Abstract

Summary: The pervaporation performance of optimized poly(butylmetacrylate‐co‐vinyltriethoxysilane)/tetraethoxysilane (P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS) hybrid membranes for the removal of benzene from water was investigated. P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes prepared by the sol–gel reaction were modified by annealing and trimethylsilylation to enhance the performance of these membranes. The annealing and trimethylmethoxysilane (TMS)‐modifications of P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes gave more hydrophobic membranes compared with untreated P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes and, consequently, the amount of benzene sorbed in the modified P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes increased significantly. When an aqueous solution of dilute benzene was permeated by pervaporation through the annealed and TMS‐modified P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes, the annealing treatment enhanced the benzene/water selectivity significantly. This result was attributed to a decrease in residual silanol groups in the annealed hybrid membranes and the formation of an optimum cross‐linked structure of the annealed P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes.Benzene concentration in the permeate for an aqueous solution of benzene through untreated (○) and annealed (•) P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes during PV.imageBenzene concentration in the permeate for an aqueous solution of benzene through untreated (○) and annealed (•) P(BMA‐co‐VTES)/TEOS hybrid membranes during PV.

Mechanical properties, thermal stability, and crystallization kinetics of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate)/calcium carbonate composites

“…Various fillers including montmorillonite [10], silica [11], calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) [12–14], and aluminum oxide [15] are the common fillers to reduce cost and enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of polymer materials, such as the toughness, stiffness, and heat resistance. As organic–inorganic hybrid composites have both the flexibility of an organic component and the hardness of an inorganic component, these organic–inorganic composite materials have been applied in many fields such as in commodity plastics, electronic, cosmetic, adhesive, surface coating materials [16–18], and separation membranes [19–23]. However, rigid particles, especially nanoparticles, usually agglomerate in the polymer matrix due to the tremendous surface area and high surface free energy.…”

Phenyl‐Substituted Siloxane Hybrid Gels that Soften Below 140°C

“…H ybrid organic–inorganic materials prepared by the sol–gel process are not simple physical mixtures of inorganic and organic components. This is revealed in the synergistic trends of physical and chemical properties, which are significantly different from mixing models of the individual components 1,2 . These hybrids have been classified broadly on the basis of the interaction between inorganic and the organic components and have been divided into two main classes 3 .…”

Water/Ethanol Selectivity of New Organic‐Inorganic Hybrid Membranes Fabricated from Poly(vinyl alcohol) and an Oligosilane

“…[15][16][17] By using the sol-gel method, it is possible to homogeneously hybridize the organic and inorganic components. We have previously prepared organic-inorganic hybrid membranes by sol-gel reactions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), [18] poly[(vinyl alcohol)-co-(acrylic acid)] [P(VA-co-AA)] and TEOS, [19] quaternized chitosan and TEOS, [20,21] copolymers of butyl methacrylate and vinyl triethoxysilane [P(BMA-co-VTES)], and TEOS [22,23] to improve polymer membrane selectivities. The organic-inorganic hybrid membrane selectivities were significantly enhanced.…”