Membranes based on polymer miscibility for selective transport and separation of metallic ions

Abstract Polymer inclusion membranes (PIM) used for selective transport and separation of metallic ions have emerged in recent times. Their expansion depends on the method of preparation and their suitable structure and physico-chemical characteristics. In this paper, a novel category of membranes for ions separation is reported. The membranes were synthesized by thermally induced phase separation using a mixture of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and cellulose triacetate (CTA) plasticized by tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) and with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) incorporated into the polymer as carrier to increase specific interactions between polymers. PIM membrane exhibited a hydrophobic (∼100°) and thermally stable up to ∼200 °C porous homogenous structure. The transport of Ni(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was studied by competitive transport across polymer inclusion membranes (PIM). Competitive transport of ions in solution across PIM provide the selectivity order: Ni 2+ (45%) > Pb 2+ (35%) > Zn 2+ (5%). A long-term transport experiment was carried out to study the durability of the system.