There are photosensitive polymers which undergo transformation (isomerization, ring closure, etc.) upon irradiation by UV light. Preliminary Japanese work indicated that the permeabilities of enzymes were reduced by a factor of ten when a polymer membrane was irradiated. This research will explore and extend the concept to gas separations, to cover eight commercially important gases and a number of photosensitive polymer membranes. The research will include preparation/characterization of membranes, permeability (solubility and diffusivity) measurements, and interpretation of the data by existing theories.
