Wiley, Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 4(53), p. 280-287, 2014
DOI: 10.1002/polb.23628
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This study investigated the gas separation membranes made with gelatin, crosslinked with ferulic acid (FA) and blended with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 200, by using a solvent-free procedure. Gas permeation properties (He, N2, O2, and CO2) of these “green membranes” were studied and discussed in relation with their structure. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements were carried out to determine the gelatin triple helical renaturation level. The lowest permeability values [He and CO2 permeability (4.5 × 10−2 Barrer) with CO2/O2 selectivity of 14.5] were reached with gelatin/PEG 200 uncrosslinked membranes showing the highest renaturation level (40%). Crosslinking with FA lead to less rigid and brittle materials than GTA and to 10 times more permeable membranes compared with uncrosslinked membranes. Membranes crosslinked with glutaraldehyde broke during gas permeation measurements. Results demonstrated that higher gas permeability values were closely related to lower renaturation level of gelatin. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014