COMPOSITION, MEMBRANE, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

• US 20090020473A1
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Wang, Hua, Yeager, Gary William, Oba, Sharon, Kogan, Anatoli
• Granted Patent: US 7,910,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/500.100
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 63/6856 Dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 63/916 Dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2367/02 Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds; C08J2367/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/2256 based on macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those involving carbon-to-carbon bonds, e.g. obtained by polycondensation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/10 Process efficiency

Abstract

A composition is provided. The composition may include a reaction product of a first composition having two or more anhydride moieties, a second composition having two or more hydroxyl moieties, and a third composition having at least one aziridine moiety. A method for forming a membrane from the composition is provided. A membrane formed from the composition is provided. Devices that include the membrane are provided, also.

Claims

1. A composition, comprising a reaction product of

a first composition comprising two or more anhydride moieties;

a second composition comprising two or more hydroxyl moieties; and

a third composition comprising at least one aziridine moiety.

2. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the first composition is a dianhydride.

3. The composition as defined in claim 2, wherein the dianhydride comprises a material having a structure as indicated in Formula 1, Formula 2, or Formula 3:

4. The composition as defined in claim 3, wherein R¹, R² and R³, where present, further comprise a sulfur group or a sulfone group.

5. The composition as defined in claim 4, wherein the first composition is bisphenol-A dianhydride.

6. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the second composition is a polyol.

7. The composition as defined in claim 6, wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene adipate, polyethylene succiniate, and polyethylene glutarate.

8. The composition as defined in claim 6, wherein the polyol comprises polypropylene adipate, polypropylene succinate, or polypropylene glutarate.

9. The composition as defined in claim 6, wherein the polyol comprises polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, poly(ethylene-ran-propylene glycol), or poly(ethylene-block-propylene glycol).

10. The composition as defined in claim 6, wherein the polyol comprises a structure represented by Formula 4

11. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the two or more hydroxyl moieties of the second composition are pendant from an organic portion that is an oligomer or a polymer backbone.

12. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the two or more hydroxyl moieties of the second composition are pendant from an organic portion that is a cross-linkable reactive monomer.

13. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the second composition comprises one or more of an ester group, an amide group, an ether group, a sulfone group, or a sulfonamide group.

14. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the second composition comprises a diol-terminated polyethylene adipate.

15. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the second composition comprises a diol-terminated polyethylene succinate.

16. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the third composition has a structure represented by Formula 5

17. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the third composition comprises a derivative of tris(2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate).

18. The composition as defined in claim 17, wherein the tris (2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate) derivative is trimethylolpropane tris(2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate) or pentaerythritol tris(2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate).

19. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the first composition to the second compositions is in a range from about 0.5:

1 to about 1;

0.5.

20. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the second and third compositions is in a range from about 0.5:

1 to about 1;

0.5.

21. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein

the first composition is bisphenol-A dianhydride;

the second composition is diol-terminated polyethylene adipate or diol-terminated polyethylene succinate; and

the third composition is trimethylolpropane tris(2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate) or pentaeylthritol tris(2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate).

22. The composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a thickener.

23. A membrane formed from the composition as defined in claim 1.

24. The membrane as defined in claim 23, wherein the membrane is in the form of a film, a tube, a solid fiber, a hollow fiber, a plate, or a frame.

25. The membrane as defined in claim 23, wherein a thickness of the membrane is in a range of from about 0.5 micrometers to about 500 micrometers.

26. The membrane as defined in claim 23, wherein the membrane is a symmetric membrane or a composite membrane.

27. The membrane as defined in claim 26, wherein the composite membrane comprises a porous support.

28. The membrane as defined in claim 1, wherein the membrane is capable of contacting a mixture of liquid compositions, and of separating aliphatic composition from aromatic compositions in the mixture.

29. An organic solvent separation device comprising the membrane as defined in claim 23.

30. A water desalination device comprising the membrane as defined in claim 23.

31. A blood filtration device comprising the membrane as defined in claim 23.

32. A method, comprising:

mixing a first composition having two or more anhydride moieties with a second composition having two or more hydroxyl moieties in a solvent;

to produce a polyamide-ester intermediate solution;

adding a third composition having at least one aziridine moiety to the polyamide-ester intermediate solution to produce a membrane-formable solution; and

forming a membrane from the membrane-formable solution.

33. The method as defined in claim 32, further comprising selecting the solvent from dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, N-methylpyrrolidinone, dimethylsulfoxide, acetonitrile, tetrahysrofuran, ketone, or acetone.