Feiring, Andrew Edward

DOE OSTI2024

Gas permeable fluoropolymers and ionomers

Novel copolymers that are fluoropolymers including a first repeat unit that is fluorinated and cyclic and a second repeat unit from a trifluorovinyl methylene ether monomer having sulfur or sulfone functionality in the pendant group are disclosed. The copolymers have relatively high gas permeability as a result of a cyclic repeat unit in the copolymer backbone and ionomers from oxidation of the sulfur containing functionality are particularity useful in the cathode structure of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

Lousenberg, Robert Daniel↗

DOE OSTI2020

Amorphous fluorinated copolymer gas separation membranes

Membranes having a permselective active layer of a copolymerized perfluorinated monomer and an non-fluorinated alkylvinylester monomer demonstrate superior selective permeability performance for separating gas mixtures compared to membranes of exclusively perfluorinated polymers. Preferred active layer compositions are copolymers of perfluoro-2,2-dimethyl-1,3 dioxole (PDD) copolymerized with an alkylvinyl ester such as vinyl acetate, and vinyl pivalate, and with alkylvinyl esters that are substantially hydrolyzed to provide copolymerized vinyl alcohol functionality. The membranes can have a thin, high diffusion rate, “gutter layer” of a fluorinated polymer highly permeable to nitrogen positioned between the active layer and a porous support layer. A novel copolymer effective in selectively permeable membranes is a copolymer of PDD and an alkylvinyl ester compound having the formula H2C═CHOC(O)R1 in which R1 is a linear or branched alkyl group of from 2 to 5 carbon atoms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗