Membrane‐Based Gas Separation Accelerated by Hollow Nanosphere Architectures

Abstract

The coupling of hollow carbon nanospheres with triblock copolymers is a promising strategy to fabricate mixed-matrix membranes. This is because the symmetric microporous shells combine with the hollow space to promote gas transport, and the unique soft-rigid molecular structure of triblock copolymers can accommodate a high loading of fillers without a significant loss of mechanical strength.

Preparation of poly(ether‐block‐amide)/poly(amide‐co‐poly(propylene glycol)) random copolymer blend membranes for CO2/N2 separation

“…Therefore, advanced CO 2 separation technology is urgently needed to improve national competitiveness and economy level. CO 2 separation using membrane technology is a cost‐effective and energy‐effective process as compared to traditional separation technologies such as cryogenic separation and pressure swing adsorption . To date, gas separation membrane research mainly focuses on inorganic, polymeric, and mixed matrix membranes.…”

Porous Structure Design of Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation

“…Very recently, the application of hierarchical porous structures (e.g., micro–mesoporous or micro–macroporous structures) as the filler phase has been explored for MMM fabrication because of their superior properties. For example, hollow nanosphere architectures with microporous shells have recently been used to create new MMMs, as shown in Figure . The microporous shell of the hollow spheres can function as a molecular sieve, not only blocking polymer chains to create permanent porosity, but also providing additional selectivity for gas separation.…”

“…b) Photographs demonstrating that larger‐area 80 wt% HCS@PS‐PEB‐PS is resilient to mechanical stress and can be easily handled. Reproduced with permission . Copyright 2016, Wiley‐VCH.…”

Fabrication of mixed‐matrix membranes with MOF‐derived porous carbon for CO2 separation

“…A general regulation strategy for the separation performance is absent up to now. Therefore, it is still difficult to identify promising fillers which can enhance the permeability and selectivity simultaneously . For example, MMMs based on porous materials such as carbon and CNT face poor compatibility between the filler particles and the polymer matrix, which leads to the limited improvement in the separation performance of the membrane .…”