Poly(methyl methacrylate) membranes

Abstract Uniform and symmetric membranes were formed from poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by making use of the stereocomplex phenomenon which characteristically occurs in the solution of a mixture of isotactic PMMA and syndiotactic PMMA. The water permeability of the membrane was very high compared to a commercially available cellulosic membrane, whereas their NaCl permeabilities were the same. The permeabilities of the membranes are explained by a simple capillary model. By varying the tacticity of the polymer it was found that the finest membrane structure is formed at the isotactic polymer ratio of ca. 30%. This shows the close relationship between complex formation and membrane permeability.