Gas Permeation of Sulfur Thin-Films and Potential as a Barrier Material

Xicheng Jia; Thomas D Bennett; Matthew G Cowan

doi:10.3390/membranes9060072

Gas Permeation of Sulfur Thin-Films and Potential as a Barrier Material

Membranes (Basel). 2019 Jun 14;9(6):72. doi: 10.3390/membranes9060072.

Authors

Xicheng Jia¹, Thomas D Bennett², Matthew G Cowan³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand. xicheng.jia@pg.canterbury.ac.nz.
² Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FS, UK. Tdb35@cam.ac.uk.
³ Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand. matthew.cowan@canterbury.ac.nz.

Abstract

Elemental sulfur was formed into poly(ether sulfone)-supported thin-films (ca. 10 µm) via a melt-casting process. Observed permeabilities of C₂H₄, CO₂, H₂, He, and N₂ through the sulphur thin-films were <1 barrer. The sulfur thin-films were observed to age over a period of ca. 15 days, related to the reversion of polymerized sulfur to the S₈ allotrope. This structural conversion was observed to correlate with an increase in the permeability of all gases.

Keywords: barrier materials; gas permeation; sulfur; thin-films.

Grants and funding

N/A/MacDiramid Institute