Crosslinked polyimide membrane for organic solvent nanofiltration under basic condition

Abstract

Organic solvent nanofiltration is often required under extreme conditions in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. In this study, we developed a polyimide-based OSN membrane that exhibits excellent stability in organic solvents and base solutions. Membrane fabrication went through polyimide synthesis, bromination reaction, membrane casting, and crosslinking reaction using pyridyl crosslinking agents. Various characterization tests confirmed that each step in the manufacturing process was successful. And it was resistant to various solvents by chemical stability test. The feasibility of OSN has been verified through pure solvent filtration test. In addition, it was confirmed that the permeance and rejection performance of the membrane changed depending on the length of the crosslinking agent. Therefore, crosslinked polyimide membranes have the potential for future application to OSN.