Liquid-like CNT/SiO2 nanoparticle organic hybrid materials as fillers in mixed matrix composite membranes for enhanced CO2-selective separation. (10th July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Dechao; Zheng, Yaping; Yao, Dongdong; Yang, Zhiyuan; Xin, Yangyang; Wang, Feng; Wang, Yudeng; Ning, Hailong; Wu, Hu; Wang, Hongni
• Is Part Of: New journal of chemistry. Volume 43:Number 30(2019)
• Page Start: 11949
• Page End: 11958
• Publication Date: 2019-07-10
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; Chimie -- Périodiques; 540
• DOI: 10.1039/c9nj02789k
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1144-0546

Abstract

Abstract : Liquid-like nanoparticle organic hybrid materials with core/canopy/corona were used as fillers in Pebax-1657 matrix to fabricate mixed-matrix membranes. The effect of composite core composition on CO2 /N2 separation performance was systematically investigated. Abstract : Nanoparticle organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) have shown great potential as absorbents for CO2 capture owing to their attractive properties, including macroscopic liquid-like behavior, good dispersion properties, and tunable structures. However, only a few NOHMs are used as fillers to prepare mixed-matrix composite membranes (MMMs) for CO2 capture. Here, we demonstrated novel MMMs comprising a Pebax-1657 polymer matrix and NOHM fillers for separating a CO2 /N2 mixture. Various types of NOHMs with a core/corona/canopy structure based on a CNT/SiO2 composite core were prepared and incorporated into the Pebax-1657 matrix. In particular, the effect of the composite core composition on CO2 /N2 mixture permeation was systematically investigated. Benefiting from the dispersion properties of liquid-like NOHMs, excellent interfacial compatibility was obtained. Furthermore, functional groups on the canopy of NOHMs were confirmed to enhance the CO2 -philic properties for separation. Specifically, the as-prepared membrane presented optimal performance regarding CO2 permeability (148.3 Barrer) and the separation factor (66.5 for CO2 /N2 ), while also showing improvements in CO2 permeability by 142.3% and the CO2 /N2 separation factor by 62.5% compared with neat Pebax membrane, overcoming the Robeson upper bound. Finally, the influence of the composite core composition (CNT/SiO2 weight ratio) in NOHMs on CO2 selective separation was investigated. A possible CO2 selective separation mechanism was also proposed.