Pervaporation separation of alcohol–water mixture through 4‐vinylpyridine chemical modified poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) membrane

For dehydrating separation aqueous alcohol solution by the pervaporation technique, a chemical modified poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) (TPX) membrane was synthesized with 4‐vinylpyridine (4‐VP). The morphology, crystallinity, and thermodegradation properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray, and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The modified TPX membrane possessed higher stability than that of the unmodified TPX membrane. The effects of feed temperature and poly(4‐VP) (P4‐VP) content of the modified TPX membranes on the performances of pervaporation were studied. A separation factor of 133 and a permeation rate of 115 g/mh can be obtained for the TPX/P4‐VP membrane with 3.0 wt % P4‐VP content.