Postcombustion capture has been an important field for
CO2 capture, but its high H2O content has been
a significant
barrier to the performance of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). In this
study, a series of humidity values were established, and two types
of MOFs (SUM-1 and SUM-9) were used in Pebax 2533 (poly(ether-block-amide)) to prepare MMMs to explore CO2/N2 separation performance. At 35 °C and 2 bar, the CO2 permeability of Pebax-SUM-1 was 380.9, 433.1, 405.4, and
401.7 Barrer, respectively, when the relative humidity (RH) changed
from 0, 30, 60, to 100%, and the CO2/N2 selectivity
was 20.5, 19.0, 18.1, and 17.0, respectively. The CO2 permeability
of Pebax-SUM-9 was 390.9, 387.4, 412.5, and 452.4 Barrer, with the
CO2/N2 selectivities being 18.5, 19.9, 20.0,
and 19.7, respectively. The CO2/N2 selectivity
had no significant fluctuations. A hypothesis has been proposed that
the large-pore MOFs could only provide transport channels and could
not screen CO2, and the CO2/N2 selectivity
would mainly be provided by the polymer matrix. Under high humidity
conditions, the CO2 transport channels with large-pore
MOFs might fail due to competition between H2O and CO2. This study investigated the influence of a series of RH
on MMMs separation performance. The proposed theory suggests that
there might be an optimal humidity range for the CO2 permeability
of MMMs in humid conditions, which can be useful to guide the design
of porous fillers for future MMMs development.