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US 4,377,481 AGranted
Blended, polymeric, matrix membrane and process of making and using same
AssigneeAbcor, Inc.
InventorStephen Z. Jakabhazy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A blended, polymeric membrane which comprises a water-insoluble matrix polymer and a water-insoluble copolymer compatible and blended with the matrix polymer, which copolymer is prepared by a copolymerization of a first monomer which, when homopolymerized, would result in an incompatible homopolymer with the matrix, and a second monomer which, when homopolymerized, would result in a compatible homopolymer with the matrix, one or both of the monomers containing positive or negative functional groups, to provide a blended, compatible, water-insoluble membrane for use in a reverse-osmosis and ultrafiltration processes.
Claims40
A blended polymeric membrane, which membrane comprises:
- (a) a water-insoluble matrix polymer, to provide support and strength to the membrane;
- and
- (b) a water-insoluble copolymer compatible with and intimately blended with the matrix polymer in an amount of up to about 50% by weight in the blended polymeric membrane, which copolymer is prepared by the copolymerization of
- (i) a first monomer which comprises an acrylate or methacrylate monomer which, when homopolymerized, would result in a water-insoluble homopolymer compatible with the matrix polymer of the membrane, and
- (ii) a second monomer which contributes hydrophilic properties to the blended polymeric membrane and which contains cationic or anionic groups, or combinations thereof selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium, amino, sulfonic, carboxylic, sulfonium, phosphonic, phosphonium, and hydroxyl groups, and which, when homopolymerized, would result in a homopolymer incompatible with the matrix polymer of the membrane the first or second monomers present in the copolymer in an amount of up to 80% by weight, thereby providing for the compatible blending of the incompatible second monomer function into the matrix polymer.
2 more elements
A blended polymeric membrane, which membrane comprises:
- (a) a vinylidene fluoride matrix polymer;
- and
- (b) a copolymer compatible with and intimately blended with the matrix polymer, which copolymer is prepared by the copolymerization of a water-soluble, sulfonated, amido acrylate monomer and a water-insoluble acrylate or methacrylate monomer, wherein the weight percent of the copolymer, based on the membrane polymer, ranges from about 10% to 35% by weight, and wherein the weight percent of the monomers of the copolymer ranges from about 20% to 80% by weight.
A blended polymeric membrane, which membrane comprises:
- (a) a vinylidene fluoride matrix polymer;
- and
- (b) a copolymer compatible with and intimately blended with the matrix polymer, which copolymer is prepared by the copolymerization of a water-soluble, secondary or tertiary aminoethyl acrylate monomer and a water-insoluble acrylate or methacrylate monomer, wherein the weight percent of the copolymer, based on the membrane polymer, ranges from about 10% to 35% by weight, and wherein the weight percent of the monomers of the copolymer ranges from about 20% to 80% by weight.
A process of preparing a blended polymeric membrane, which process comprises:
- (a) casting a solvent solution of a casting solution containing a polymer blend;
- (b) evaporating at least partially the solvent of the casting solution;
- (c) immersing the cast, partially evaporated, polymer film into a water bath;
- and
- (d) recovering a blended polymeric membrane, the improvement which comprises
- providing an organic-solvent casting solution, which solution comprises a water-insoluble matrix polymer to provide support and strength to the polymeric membrane to be prepared, and a water-insoluble copolymer soluble in the organic solvent and compatible with and intimately blended with the matrix polymer, after formation of the membrane, in an amount of up to about 50% by weight in the blended polymeric membrane, which copolymer is prepared by the copolymerization of a first monomer which comprises an acrylate or methacrylate monomer and which, when homopolymerized, would result in a water-insoluble homopolymer compatible with the matrix polymer of the membrane and which would be soluble in the casting solution, and a second monomer which contributes hydrophilic properties to the blended polymeric membrane and which contains cationic or anionic groups, or combinations thereof selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium, amino, sulfonic, carboxylic, sulfonium, phosphonic, phosphonium, and hydroxyl groups and which, when homopolymerized, would result in a homopolymer incompatible with the matrix polymer of the membrane or would be water-soluble, but which is soluble in the casting solution, the first or second monomers present in the copolymer in an amount of up to 80% by weight.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.