Novel polymer composites based on polyamide-imide Torlon and deep eutectic solvent (DES) were fabricated and adapted for separation processes. DES composed of zinc chloride and acetamide in a ratio of 1:3 M was first chosen as a Torlon-modifier due to the possibility of creating composites with a uniform filling of the DES through the formation of hydrogen bonds. The structure of the membranes was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis; thermal stability was determined by thermogravimetric analysis and mass spectrometry. The surface of the composites was studied by determining the contact angles and calculating the surface tension. The transport properties were investigated by such membrane methods as pervaporation and gas separation. It was found that the inclusion of DES in the polymer matrix leads to a significant change in the structure and surface character of composites. It was also shown that DES plays the role of a plasticizer and increases the separation performance in the separation of liquids and gases. Torlon/DES composites with a small amount of modifier were effective in alcohol dehydration, and were permeable predominantly to water impurities in isopropanol. Torlon/DES-5 demonstrates high selectivity in the gas separation of O2/N2 mixture.
Keywords: deep eutectic solvents; gas separation; pervaporation; polyamide–imide; polymer composites.