Organosilica-Based Membranes in Gas and Liquid-Phase Separation

Abstract

Organosilica membranes are a type of novel materials derived from organoalkoxysilane precursors. These membranes have tunable networks, functional properties and excellent hydrothermal stability that allow them to maintain high levels of separation performance for extend periods of time in either a gas-phase with steam or a liquid-phase under high temperature. These attributes make them outperform pure silica membranes. In this review, types of precursors, preparation method, and synthesis factors for the construction of organosilica membranes are covered. The effects that these factors exert on characteristics and performance of these membranes are also discussed. The incorporation of metals, alkoxysilanes, or other functional materials into organosilica membranes is an effective and simple way to improve their hydrothermal stability and achieve preferable chemical properties. These hybrid organosilica membranes have demonstrated effective performance in gas and liquid-phase separation.

Hydrogen Selective SiCH Inorganic–Organic Hybrid/γ-Al2O3 Composite Membranes

“…The H 2 -permselectivities of the composite membrane measured in this study were briefly compared with those recently reported for other membranes composed of various materials systems, and their H 2 permeation data with α(H 2 /X) (X = N 2 (0.364 nm) [ 51 ] or O 2 (0.346 nm) [ 51 ]) measured under the dry condition at T ≤ 50 °C are listed in Table 3 [ 18 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. Among them, novel ultrathin (9 nm thickness) graphene oxide membrane formed on an anodic oxidized alumina support (#09) exhibited a H 2 permeance of approximately 1 × 10 −7 mol m −2 s −1 Pa −1 with α(H 2 /N 2 ) of 900 at 20 °C [ 75 , 76 ].…”

“…The zeolite imidazolate framework (ZIF) nanosheet membrane (#08) also showed H 2 permeance of 2.04 × 10 −7 mol m −2 s −1 Pa −1 with high α(H 2 /N 2 ) of 66.6 at 30 °C [ 73 , 74 ]. Among other practical membranes, SiO 2 -based organic–inorganic hybrid membrane (#03) showed the highest H 2 permeance of 10 −6 mol m −2 s −1 Pa −1 order, while the α(H 2 /N 2 ) remained at 12 [ 68 ]. On the other hand, zeolite/CMC (carbon molecular sieve) composite membranes (#04, #05) showed a high α(H 2 /N 2 ) of 61-100.2, however the H 2 permeance at 30 °C was 10 −9 –10 −8 mol m −2 s −1 Pa −1 order [ 69 , 70 ].…”

Transport Membrane Condenser Heat Exchangers to Break the Water-Energy Nexus—A Critical Review

“…The impact of membrane technology now is reaching beyond the well-known conventional applications of water treatment [ 13 ] and gas separation [ 14 , 15 ] into new exciting areas of biopharmaceutical purification [ 16 ] and power generation [ 17 ]. With better membrane materials and process innovations, the boundary of membrane technology will continue to expand wider.…”

Multiple Amine-Contained POSS-Functionalized Organosilica Membranes for Gas Separation

“…Removal of CO 2 from flue gas has been designed by membrane separation with an efficient process [ 2 ]. Among them, microporous organosilica membranes with good thermal and chemical stability have presented attractive applications in gas separation through polymeric preparation methods in recent years [ 3 ]. In addition, the microporous structures and chemical properties suitable for target molecular separation can be designed by functional organic groups in precursors [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”