Preparation and characterization of an oxygen permselective polydimethylsiloxane hollow fibre membrane

Abstract

The simple preparation of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) hollow fibre membrane through a condensation reaction between the hydroxyl-end groups and hydride groups of polysiloxane reactants over a porous support is reported herein. Two types of polysulfone hollow fibres with different pore asymmetry were used as the supports. A uniform PDMS membrane top-layer with PDMS intrusion inside the porous support exhibited excellent gas permeability and O₂/N₂ selectivity and showed more promise for air separation than the other membrane coating the denser support. The advantage of this membrane type is its preparation from a dilute solution system in contrast to other membrane preparation methods which involve a highly viscous solution containing odorous volatile organics.