Synthesis of crosslinked PEG/IL blend membrane via one‐pot thiol–ene/epoxy chemistry

Abstract

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐based membranes have obtained considerable attentions for CO2 separation for their promising CO2 separation performance and excellent thermal/chemical resistance. In this work, a one‐pot thiol–ene/epoxy reaction was used to prepare crosslinked PEG‐based and PEG/ionic liquids (ILs) blend membranes. Four ILs of the same cation [Bmim]+ with different anions ([BF4]−, [PF6]−, [NTf2]−, and [TCM]−) were chosen as the additives. The chemical structure, thermal properties, hydrophilicity, and permeation performance of the resultant membranes were investigated to study the ILs' effects. An increment in CO2 permeability (~34%) was obtained by optimizing monomer ratios and thus crosslinking network structures. Adding ILs into optimized PEG matrix shows distinct influences in CO2 separation performance depending on the anions' types, due to the different CO2 affinities and compatibilities with PEG matrix. Among these ILs, [Bmim][NTf2] was found the most effective in enhancing CO2 transport by simultaneously increasing the solubility and diffusivity of CO2. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. J. Polym. Sci. 2020, 58, 2575‐2585

Ultra‐Fast Click Modification of Self‐Assembled Zwitterionic Copolymer Membranes for Enhanced Ion Selectivity

“…Studies report thiol-ene reactions for cross-linking or functionalization of ion exchange membranes, [47,48] proton exchange membranes, [49] hydrogel thin films, [50] and cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol)/ionic liquid blend membranes for CO 2 separation. [51] While each approach demonstrated some performance improvement, processing times were still too long for roll-to-roll manufacturing. While a handful of these reports used ≈10 min of UV exposure, [47] all others used UV or heating times measured in hours.…”

Modes of Interaction in Binary Blends of Hydrophobic Polyethers and Imidazolium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide Ionic Liquids

“…There are numerous situations in which ILs have been investigated with polymers. For example, researchers have pursued the immobilization of ILs in polymeric capsules, − ion gels, , and polymeric membranes − to overcome slow diffusion of gas molecules or other absorbates ,,, because of high IL viscosities. Encapsulation significantly increases the surface area available for mass transfer, thereby increasing the overall mass transfer rates.…”

“…The application determines the desired phase behavior; for example, immiscibility is preferred for encapsulation or selfassembly applications, whereas miscibility is necessary for solvation and is desired for plasticization applications. The permeabilities and thermophysical properties of polymer/IL blend membranes also depend on miscibility, 33 with interesting results having been observed in both miscible 26 and immiscible 35 blend membranes.…”