Transport and stability enhancement in interfacially and dimensionally constrained CO2 selective polymers embedded in nanoporous sieve membranes

• Published in: Polymer (Guilford) Vol. 54; no. 21; pp. 5986 - 5992
• Main Authors: Kocherlakota, Lakshmi S., Pham, Tiep, Overney, René M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 04.10.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: aluminum oxide; Applied sciences; carbon dioxide; Chemical engineering; CO2 separation membrane; Composites; Exact sciences and technology; Exchange resins and membranes; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; helium; Membrane separation (reverse osmosis, dialysis...); Nanocomposite; nitrogen; Polymer industry, paints, wood; polymer nanocomposites; polymers; Reverse selectivity; Technology of polymers; Nanocomposite; CO2 separation membrane; Reverse selectivity; Aluminium oxide; Transport properties; Carbon dioxide; Experimental study; CO; Gas permeability; Conjugated polymer; separation membrane; Selective permeability; Acetylene derivative polymer; Silicon polymer
• ISSN: 0032-3861; 1873-2291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2013.08.032

Nanocomposite polymer and ultrathin film membranes have shown great promise in enhancing gas permeation and selectivity properties by interfacially straining polymer matrices, yielding structures of higher free volume. However, undesired particle aggregation and short temporal stability remain a big challenge. In the present study, an “inverse” architecture to conventional polymer nanocomposites was investigated, in which the polymer phase poly(l-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) was interfacially and dimensionally constrained in nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. While with this architecture the benefits of nanocomposite and ultrathin film membranes could be reproduced and improved upon, also the temporal stability could be enhanced substantially. Gas permeabilities of helium, nitrogen and carbon dioxide were increased over five-fold, and selectivities of CO2/He and CO2/N2 could be enhanced by 40% compared to the pristine bulk phase, while physical aging, caused by free-volume collapse, was reduced twenty-fold compared to ultrathin membranes. [Display omitted]