Method for making carbon membranes for fluid separation
First Claim
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1. A method of making a selectively permeable membrane, the method comprising the steps of:
- casting a solution comprising a solvent and polymer precursor compounds to form a dense polymer film;
evaporating the solvent from said solution of polymer precursor compounds so that the dense polymer film is substantially absent of solvent;
exposing the dense polymer film substantially absent of solvent to a polar organic liquid; and
pyrolyzing the exposed dense polymer film to form the selectively permeable membrane, wherein said pyrolyzing and said exposing steps are undertaken under selected conditions such that the membrane selectivity is enhanced relative to a membrane that has not been exposed to said polar organic liquid under said selected conditions.
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Abstract
There is disclosed a method of making a high performance carbon membranes from polymer membranes. The method comprising the steps of exposing polymer precursor compounds to a polar organic liquid before pyrolysis of the exposed polymer precursor compounds.
31 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A method of making a selectively permeable membrane, the method comprising the steps of:
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casting a solution comprising a solvent and polymer precursor compounds to form a dense polymer film; evaporating the solvent from said solution of polymer precursor compounds so that the dense polymer film is substantially absent of solvent; exposing the dense polymer film substantially absent of solvent to a polar organic liquid; and pyrolyzing the exposed dense polymer film to form the selectively permeable membrane, wherein said pyrolyzing and said exposing steps are undertaken under selected conditions such that the membrane selectivity is enhanced relative to a membrane that has not been exposed to said polar organic liquid under said selected conditions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23)
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21. A carbon molecular sieve membrane made by a method comprising the steps of:
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casting a solution comprising a solvent and carbon containing polymer precursor compounds to form a dense polymer film; evaporating the solvent from said solution of carbon containing polymer precursor compounds, so that the dense polymer film is substantially absent of solvent; exposing the dense polymer film substantially absent of solvent to a polar organic liquid; and pyrolyzing the exposed dense polymer film to form the carbon molecular sieve membrane capable of separating gases having different molecular sizes, wherein said pyrolyzing and said exposing steps are undertaken under selected conditions such that the membrane selectivity is enhanced relative to a membrane that has not been exposed to said polar organic liquid under said selected conditions.
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24. A method of making a polymeric membrane for use in a carbon molecular sieve, the method comprising the steps of:
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casting a solution of polymer precursor compounds to form a dense polymer film; evaporating the solvent from said solution of polymer precursor compounds, so that the dense polymer film is substantially absent of solvent; exposing the dense polymer film substantially absent of solvent to a polar organic liquid; and pyrolyzing the exposed dense polymer film to form the selectively permeable membrane capable of separating gases having different molecular sizes, wherein said pyrolyzing and said exposing steps are undertaken under selected conditions such that the membrane selectivity is enhanced relative to a membrane that has not been exposed to said polar organic liquid under said selected conditions. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method of making a membrane, the method comprising the steps of:
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exposing polymer precursor compounds to a polar organic liquid; and pyrolysing the exposed polymer precursor compounds to form the membrane, wherein the membrane is comprised of a polyimide represented by the following general structure (I);
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Specification