PLASMA DEPOSITION OF VINYL MONOMERS ONTO POLY(4-METHYL-1-PENTENE) POLY(DIMETHYL SILOXANE) BLEND MEMBRANE FOR ENRICHMENT OF OXYGEN FROM AIR

An oxygen enriched membrane with improved O2-to-N2 selectivity was prepared by plasma deposition vinyl monomers onto poly(4-methyl-1-pentene)(TPX)/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) blend membrane. The effects of deposition time, supply power, and kinds of monomers on the gas separation performance of membranes were studied. The monomers used in this study included methyl methacrylate (MMA), vinyl acetate (VAc), 2-hydroxy-ethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and ethyl acrylate (EA). The structure of the modified membrane was confirmed by FT-IR, SEM, and X-ray diffraction. The crystallinity of the plasma modified membrane was higher than that of the unmodified membrane. Pressure-normalized O2 flux and O2-to-N2 selectivity through a TPX/PDMS blend membrane plasma coated with vinyl acetate (PVAc-p-TPX/PDMS) at 10 W-20 min, were 0.81 x 10(-6) cm3 cm-2-s-1-cmHg-1 and 5.16, respectively. O2-to-N2 selectivity and pressure-normalized O2 flux were higher than that of the pure TPX membrane.