Pervaporation membranes for ethanol–water mixture prepared by plasma polymerization. III. Perfluorocarbon membranes

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Abstract
Pervaporation membranes for the ethanol–water mixture were prepared by plasma polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene, perfluoropropane, and perfluoropropylene onto porous substrates. The influence of the monomers on the elemental ratio (F/C) of the polymer depositions by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was rather small compared with that of the W/FM parameter (W = wattage for plasma excitation, FM = mass flow rate of a monomer). The optical emission spectroscopy indicated the similarity of gaseous species formed in the plasmas. The membranes were found ethanol‐permselective, showing separation coefficients (αEtOH) around 4–7 and a wide range of permeation rates (J), 10–10−2 kg/m2 h, for the 4.8 wt % ethanol solution at 40°C. The αEtOH of the membranes with thicker depositions could be correlated to the F/C ratios as a measure of membrane hydrophobicity. It was thought that, by making a plot αEtOH against J values for the perfluorocarbon membranes, they could be classified into three groups on thickness of deposition. The ethanol‐separation mechanisms for each group, which may contain four kinds of mass transfer schemes, i.e., distillation through larger pores, flow of sorption layer at the liquid–membrane interface, and diffusions through deposition or substrate, were also discussed.

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