The study of sorption and transport properties of membranes containing polyaniline

The transport properties of membranes based on polyimide-polyaniline composites are studied in the pervaporation separation of a methanol-toluene binary azeotropic mixture. The morphology of the membranes is investigated by electronic microscopy, and the wettability of their surface is analyzed by contact-angle measurements. Special attention is given to the study of sorption and diffusion characteristics of membranes affecting the selectivity and rate of membrane separation. It is found that the incorporation of polyaniline into the matrix of the aromatic polyimide facilitates a reduction in the density of the composites relative to that of the nonmodified polyimide. It is shown that the membranes based on the polyimide-polyaniline composites are more selective with respect to methanol and show lower permeability during pervaporation of the methanol-toluene mixture than polyimide membranes.