(260f) The Effects of Spinneret Dimension and Hollow Fiber Dimension on Gas Separation Performance of Ultra-Thin Defect-Free Torlon® Hollow Fiber Membranes

Defect-free hollow fiber membrane with an ultra-thin dense layer is the most desirable apparatus in gas mixture separation due to its high separation performance and good resistance to plasticization effect or heavy hydrocarbon contamination. Its formation is also the most challenging task because of the trade-off between the formation of ultra-thin selective layer and the generation of the defects. However, we have for the first time successfully produced defect-free Torlon® hollow fiber membranes with an ultra-thin dense layer of around 540 Ǻ from only a one polymer/one solvent binary system. The O2/N2 permselectivity is much higher than the intrinsic value of Torlon® dense film. The formation mechanism has been studied and will be elaborated in the conference. The key strategy to enhance the permselectivity herein is to achieve finer monodisperse interstitial chain space by inducing an optimum elongation stretch. The effects of spinneret dimension and hollow fiber dimension on gas separation have also been investigated and reported for the first time. It is found that spinnerets with different annular gaps will result in different membrane morphology and separation performance. Torlon® poly(amide-imide) is employed as the membrane material because of its good potential for further treatments to stand against plasticization in nature gas separation.