Synthesis and Characterization of Membrane Polymers

The scientific literature of the last decades shows how poly(ethersulfone)s have excellent properties as engineering thermoplastic materials. These properties consist in very high glass transition temperature, high chemical and thermal stability. For these reasons PES has obtained wide use in many fields, both scientific and industrial: separation membranes (solid-gas, solid-liquid), metal-metal adhesives [4], composites, toughening agents for thermosetting resins [1,3], membranes for proteins recovery [2]. It has been reported in the literature that a wide spectrum of thermal, chemical and mechanical properties and also morphological behaviour, can be obtained by varying the type of monomer units in the corresponding copolymers. This work is focused on the synthesis procedure of a wide set of random copolymers with different electrolytic groups and on its structural and thermal characterization, performed by different techniques. Preliminary results of these materials in various applications is reported.