A Review of the Recent Progress in the Development of Nanocomposites Based on Poly(ether-block-amide) Copolymers as Membranes for CO2 Separation

Abstract

An inspiring challenge for membrane scientists is to exceed the current materials’ performance while keeping the intrinsic processability of the polymers. Nanocomposites, as mixed-matrix membranes, represent a practicable response to this strongly felt need, since they combine the superior properties of inorganic fillers with the easy handling of the polymers. In the global strategy of containing the greenhouse effect by pursuing a model of sustainable growth, separations involving CO2 are some of the most pressing topics due to their implications in flue gas emission and natural gas upgrading. For this purpose, Pebax copolymers are being actively studied by virtue of a macromolecular structure that comprises specific groups that are capable of interacting with CO2, facilitating its transport with respect to other gas species. Interestingly, these copolymers show a high versatility in the incorporation of nanofillers, as proved by the large number of papers describing nanocomposite membranes based on Pebax for the separation of CO2. Since the field is advancing fast, this review will focus on the most recent progress (from the last 5 years), in order to provide the most up-to-date overview in this area. The most recent approaches for developing Pebax-based mixed-matrix membranes will be discussed, evidencing the most promising filler materials and analyzing the key-factors and the main aspects that are relevant in terms of achieving the best effectiveness of these multifaceted membranes for the development of innovative devices.

Challenges, Opportunities and Future Directions of Membrane Technology for Natural Gas Purification: A Critical Review

“…According to the above equation, it is expected that an increase in free volume can enhance the diffusion of penetrants. The free volume that was measured by utilizing PALS (positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy) in PTMSP/FS (Poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne)/Fumed silica) MMM displayed enhancement in free volume with the loading of FS and correspondingly substantial increase in permeability of N 2 was noticed with an increase in loading of FS [ 201 , 202 ]. The penetrant’s solubility coefficient is dependent upon the interaction between filler and polymer.…”

Polyether Block Amide as Host Matrix for Nanocomposite Membranes Applied to Different Sensitive Fields

“…The nanocomposite MMMs based on Pebax ® can be categorized depending on their application domain as described in Figure 1. Recently, the studies on Pebax MMMs for the separation of gas mixtures involving carbon dioxide have been analysed in a separate review that examines the results achieved in the last five years [10]. The present paper examines facilitated transport membranes for olefin/paraffin separation, membranes for liquid separations and fuel cells, biomedical applications, sensors and packaging.…”

“…Several researchers are actively involved in the development of Pebax MMMs for gas separation, particularly focusing on CO 2 separation from natural gas or from flue gases [10]. However, Pebax-based MMMs were explored to investigate other challenging operations such as the separation of the close boiling point olefins/paraffins.…”

“…The separation of CO 2 (e.g., from natural gas, from biogas or from flue gases) could be effectively addressed with these membranes that present a good affinity for the CO 2 molecule due to the polyether block in the copolymer matrix. Therefore, given the interesting properties of the Pebax matrix, Pebax-based nanocomposites are widely studied as membranes to perform the separation of gases and vapours, typically displaying enhanced separation performance [9,10].…”

Copper Nanospike Fillers with High Aspect Ratios for Enhancing the Separation Performance of Mixed Matrix Membranes

“…The use of clean energy is one of the essential measures. Natural gas is a relatively vital clean energy. − Therefore, it is urgent to separate acid gases such as CO 2 from newly mined natural gas to improve the combustion calorific value of natural gas and reduce the corrosion of pipelines caused by acid gases during storage and transportation. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), which are currently being researched, are anticipated to rank among the most competitive CO 2 separation membrane materials in the future due to their ability to combine the benefits of polymer and inorganic membranes. , …”