Process for preparing membranes from tetrahalobisphenol polycarbonates.

摘要

The application describs a process for the preparation of a membrane comprising bisphenol-based polycarbonate wherein at least 25 percent by weight of the bisphenol moieties are tetrahalogenated wherein the halogen is Cl or Br, and the membrane prepared by such process. The process generally requires (1) mixing (i) a bisphenol-based polycarbonate wherein at least 25 percent by weight of the bisphenol moieties are tetrahalogenated, wherein the halogen is Cl or Br, and (ii) a solvent for such polycarbonate, wherein the mixture has a sufficient viscosity to allow extrusion at temperatures at which the mixture is homogeneous; (2) heating the mixture to form a homogeneous fluid that is extrudable; (3) extruding the heated mixture into a shape suitable for membrane use; (4) passing the formed membrane through a quench zone wherein the mixture undergoes phase separation, and the major portion of the solvent is removed from the formed membrane, wherein the membrane formed is a membrane with a discriminating region capable of separating oxygen from nitrogen. Such membranes have excellent mechanical and thermal properties.