Oxygen enriching membrane

• US 6,372,020 B2
• Filed: 08/26/1999
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jae-Jin Hong, Jae-Kun Yang, Joong-Ryeon Han
• Original Assignee: Jae-Jin Hong, Jae-Kun Yang, Joong-Ryeon Han
• Inventors: Han, Jeong-Ryeon, Yang, Jae-Kun, Hong, Jae-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Spitzer, Robert H.
• Application Number:
  US09/383,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 95/45, 95/54, 96/4, 96/12--14
• US Class Current: 95/54
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/228 characterised by specific membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/04 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/12 Cellulose derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/82 characterised by the presence of specified groups, e.g. introduced by chemical after-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/0255 characterised by the type of membrane
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2210/0046 Nitrogen

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel oxygen enriching membrane wich exhibits the desired oxygen selectivity and permeability under a low pressure difference characterized in that it is prepared from siloxylated cellulose and/or siloxylated glass.

Claims

1. A method for providing an oxygen-enriched gas sample comprising:

providing an oxygen enriching membrane comprising siloxylated glass; and

passing through the membrane a gas that contains oxygen;

wherein the membrane which exhibits oxygen selectivity and permeability under a low pressure difference of 3 to 30 mm Hg.

2. A method of claim 1 wherein air is passed through the membrane.

3. A method of claim 1 wherein the oxygen enriching membrane gas that passes through the membrane is enriched in oxygen content.

4. An oxygen enriching membrane consisting of siloxylated glass.

5. An oxygen enriching membrane which comprises siloxylated glass and which exhibits oxygen selectivity and permeability under a low pressure difference of 3 to 30 mm Hg.

6. The membrane of claim 5 wherein the siloxylated glass is prepared by a siloxylation using one or more siloxylating agents from the compounds of the following formulae (1) to (3):

in the above formulae (1) to (3)

R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅, R₇ and R⁸ independently of one another represent hydrogen, halogen or

or represent C₁-C₆-alkyl, C₂-C₆-alkenyl or phenyl which is optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from a group consisting of halogen and

R⁶ represent hydrogen or C₁-C₆-alkyl,

X represent hydrogen, halogen or amino substituted by

or represents OM′

(wherein M′

is alkali metal), and n denotes a number of 3 to 6.

7. The membrane of claim 5, wherein the membrane consists of siloxylated glass.

8. A process for preparing an oxygen enriching membrane, comprising:

providing a membrane formed from a glass powder using water glass (Na₂SiO₃) as a binder, and passing siloxylcellulose dissolved in a solvent or a solution of siloxylating agent through the membrane.