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Characteristics of poly(ether ether ketone) microporous membranes prepared via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS)
Author(s) -
Mehta Rakesh H.,
Kalika Douglass S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19971219)66:12<2347::aid-app16>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - polyetherimide , materials science , membrane , microporous material , chemical engineering , crystallization , polymer chemistry , phase inversion , peek , ether , diluent , thermal stability , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , polymer , biochemistry , engineering
The morphology and bulk properties of microporous membranes based on poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) have been investigated as a function of initial casting composition and thermal and mechanical processing history. Membranes were prepared via solid—liquid phase separation of miscible blends of PEEK and polyetherimide (PEI), with subsequent extraction of the PEI diluent. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed a microporous morphology with two distinct pore size scales corresponding to diluent extraction from interfibrillar and interspherulitic regions, respectively. The membrane structure was sensitive to both initial blend composition and crystallization temperature, with the resulting pore size distribution reflecting the kinetics of phase separation. For membranes prepared with lower initial diluent content or at lower crystallization temperatures, mercury intrusion porosimetry indicated a relatively narrow distribution of fine interfibrillar pores, with an average pore size of approximately 0.04 microns. Membranes prepared at higher diluent content or at higher crystallization temperatures displayed a broad pore distribution, with a sizeable population of coarse, interspherulitic pores (0.1 to 1 μm in size). Uniaxial drawing led to a fibrillated network structure with markedly higher water flux characteristics compared to the as‐cast membranes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 2347–2355, 1997