Membranes
obtained by adding small amounts (1 wt %) of nanoplatelets
of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) to poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne)
(PTMSP) were fabricated with a simple route, and their gas permeability
was measured at 30 °C over 9 months. In most cases, variations
of PTMSP permeability due to the addition of filler are limited, while
the ideal selectivity of CO2/He, CH4/He, and
CH4/N2 is slightly enhanced by addition of filler.
Specific measurements indicate that the CO2 and CH4 diffusivity are more strongly affected by addition of graphene
than their solubility: such behavior indicates that the filler modifies
mainly the microstructure of the polymer rather than its interactions
with the gas, as it is reasonable. The most significant quantitative
effect observed after filler incorporation is the reduction of PTMSP
aging, that was monitored by studying gas permeability after 9 months
of aging at room temperature and after annealing at 200 °C. The
reduction of aging observed after adding graphene is more significant
than that obtained with large amounts (up to 20 vol %) of other inorganic
fillers, like MgO and TiO2, even though the amount of filler
added in this work is small (<1 wt %). Such behavior, coupled to
the generally favorable effect of filler on gas permeability and selectivity,
makes such materials extremely promising for real applications.
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