Synthesis and Characterization of a Cellulose Acetate Based PIM for Water Treatment

Lithium ion has various applications in medical, pharmaceutical, and nuclear industries. To fulfill separation and enrichment of Li+, an innovative state-of-the-art polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) has been prepared. Generally, PIMs include three main components which in this work, include cellulose acetate (CA) as a base polymer, 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride (BMIMCl) ionic liquid as a plasticizer, and crown ether type 12-crown-4 (12C4) as a cation carrier. Effects of various constituting components of the membrane on its structural properties and performance were investigated. In this way, the membrane made of CA, ionic liquid, and crown ether with ratios of 0.3, 0.46, and 0.24 showed the best lithium ion flux among the synthesized membranes. The membrane adsorbed no ion which confirmed by ICP analysis. Moreover, the exploited PIM to enrich lithium ion featured a higher flux compared with other works. Any metal ion/ isotope may be separated and enriched by employing the novel PIM prepared in this work provided tailored ingredients are used.