Hydrophilic block copolymers and membranes prepared therefrom (I)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9394407-B2
Application number	US-201414320343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2014
Priority date	Jun 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed are block copolymers of the formula A-B-A (I) or A-B (II), comprising blocks A and B, wherein block A is a hydrophilic polymeric segment comprising polyglycerol and block B is an aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment. The block copolymers find use as wetting agents in the preparation of porous membranes from aromatic hydrophobic polymers such as polyethersulfone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A block copolymer of formula A-B-A (I) or A-B (II), comprising blocks A and B, wherein block A is a hydrophilic polymeric segment comprising polyglycerol and block B is an aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment selected from polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene oxide, polycarbonate, poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone), polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, polyether ketone ketone, polyimide, polyetherimide, and polyamide-imide.

2. The block copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the polyglycerol has one or more of the following repeat units:

3. The block copolymer of claim 1 , wherein block A comprises of one or more of the following structures:

4. The block copolymer of claim 1 , wherein the aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment is polyethersulfone.

5. The block copolymer of claim 4 , which has the following structure:

wherein n is about 10 to about 1000.

6. The block copolymer of claim 1 , wherein block A is present in an amount of about 20% to about 60 mol % and block B is present in an amount of about 30% to about 80 mol %.

7. The block copolymer of claim 6 , wherein block A is present in an amount of about 40% to about 55 mol % and block B is present in an amount of about 40% to about 60 mol %.

8. A method of preparing a block copolymer of claim 1 , comprising:
(i) providing an aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment having one or more terminal functional groups selected from hydroxy, mercapto, and amino groups; and
(ii) carrying out ring opening polymerization of glycidol on the aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment has one or more terminal hydroxy groups.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment has the formula:

wherein n is about 10 to about 1000.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ring opening polymerization is carried out in the presence of a base.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the base is selected from potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, cesium carbonate, sodium tertiary butoxide, potassium tertiary butoxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, barium carbonate, barium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, sodium amide, and lithium amide, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ring opening polymerization of glycidol is carried out in a solvent selected from N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and N-methylpyrrolidone, and mixtures thereof.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the molar ratio of the aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment to that of glycidol is about 1:0.1 to about 1:1.1.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the molar ratio of the aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment to that of glycidol is about 1:0.7 to about 1:0.9.

16. A porous membrane comprising an aromatic hydrophobic polymer and a block copolymer of claim 1 .

17. A method of preparing a porous membrane comprising an aromatic hydrophobic polymer and a block copolymer of claim 1 , said method comprising:
(i) providing a polymer solution comprising a solvent, said aromatic hydrophobic polymer, and said block copolymer;
(ii) casting the polymer solution as a thin film;
(iii) subjecting the thin film to phase inversion to obtain a porous membrane; and optionally
(iv) washing the porous membrane.

18. A porous membrane comprising an aromatic hydrophobic polymer and a block copolymer of the formula A-B-A (I) or A-B (II), comprising blocks A and B, wherein block A is a hydrophilic polymeric segment comprising polyglycerol and block B is an aromatic hydrophobic polymeric segment.

19. The porous membrane of claim 18 , wherein the polyglycerol has one or more of the following repeat units:

20. The porous membrane of claim 18 , wherein the copolymer has the following structure:

wherein n is about 10 to about 1000.

Assignees

• Pall Corp

Inventors

• Ait-Haddou Hassan
• Onyemauwa Frank

Classifications

• B01D2323/12

  Specific ratios of components used · CPC title

• C08G2650/24

  Polymeric initiators · CPC title

• C08G65/22

  Cyclic ethers having at least one atom other than carbon and hydrogen outside the ring · CPC title

• B01D2325/36

  Hydrophilic membranes · CPC title

• B01D71/46

  Epoxy resins · CPC title