Prediction of Polymer/Solvent Interaction Parameter in Relation to Membrane Formation; Using a Theory Based on Hard-Sphere Limit

Thermodynamic’s behaviour of a polymeric solution plays a key role in determination of final porous structure in membrane fabrication process. In this study, a hard-sphere limit model were used to predict the Flory-Huggins (FH) interaction parameter between polymer and solvent for four polymers commonly used for membrane fabrication including Polyethersulfone (PES), Cellulose acetate (CA), Polysulfone (PSU) and Polyetherimide (PEI) in the presence of three different solvents including DMF, NMP and Acetone. The predicted results were compared with experimental data. From the results, the model showed well agreement with experimental data; However, some differences were observed in higher polymer concentrations

Keywords:

Phase Equilibria , Interaction Parameter , Activity , Hard-Sphere Limit Model