Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered to be carriers of the unidentified infrared bands, which are ubiquitously observed in the Universe. PAHs are mainly formed around evolved carbon-rich stars and injected into interstellar space. Planetary nebulae (PNe), a late stage of low- and intermediate stellar mass evolution, are suitable objects to investigate the formation and evolution of PAHs. The shortest PAH feature is located in 3.3 μm, which is important to examine the excitation and size distribution of PAHs. While the number of samples had been limited before, the high sensitivity of AKARI/IRC has drastically increased the number of samples. We obtained the 2-5 μm spectra of Galactic PNe with AKARI/IRC and compiled a near-infrared spectral catalog, containing 73 PNe. We investigate the detection rate and the evolution of the PAH features. The characteristics of the catalog are illustrated and the origin of the evolution of the PAH features is discussed.

Porous asymmetric membranes were prepared from polyetherimide polymer by the phase-inversion technique under different conditions. The performance of the membranes was tested for the removal of acetone vapour from nitrogen. A membrane which showed a high acetone permeability and a high selectivity was chosen and tested further for the separation of different organic vapours from nitrogen. The molecular structure of organic vapours and the selectivity were correlated. A strong correlation was also found between the chromatographic retention time of the organic vapour and the selectivity. These experimental results led to the conclusion that the sorption is the factor governing the separation of volatile organic compounds from nitrogen. A membrane was also prepared by coating the surface of a porous polyetherimide membrane with silicone rubber. The performance of membranes with and without silicone rubber coating was compared.