Rolltruded poly(aryl ether ether ketone) (PEEK) for membrane applications

An investigation of the transport and separation of several permanent gases (CO2, N-2, CH4, and H-2) and vapors (H2O and ethanol) in unprocessed and rolltruded poly(aryl ether ether ketone) (PEEK) thin films has been conducted to evaluate PEEK for membrane applications requiring thermally and chemically stable materials. Transport coefficients and separation factors have been determined at permeation temperatures ranging from 40 to ca. 180 degrees C. The gas transport coefficients were found to increase by up to 30% depending on the processing conditions. Actual separation factors, determined for a CO2/N-2 gas mixture (24.6 vol% CO2), were depressed slightly in comparison to the ideal values obtained from pure component data. In contrast, water and ethanol vapor permeabilities declined between 10 and 15% as a result of processing. For a 39.1 wt% vapor mixture of H2O in EtOH, ideal and actual separation factors, determined at 130 degrees C, were in good agreement. In contrast, order of magnitude improvements in the actual versus ideal separation factors were found for 11.7 and 7.6 wt% mixtures of H2O in EtOH in both unprocessed and rolltruded PEEK. A comparison with other membranes considered for high temperature vapor dehydrations suggests that PEEK may be an excellent polymer for these applications.