Metal confined in metal‐organic framework‐based mixed matrix membranes for efficient butadiene recognition separation
Xixi Cen, Yuxiu Sun, Caijiao Yu, Zhihua Qiao, Chongli Zhong
Abstract
Abstract The efficient separation of butadiene (1,3‐C 4 H 6 ) from C 4 hydrocarbons is a critical step in petrochemical processes. However, the traditional cryogenic distillation suffers from energy‐intensity and serious environmental stress, necessitating the development of alternative technologies for efficient 1,3‐C 4 H 6 separation. Herein, a 1,3‐C 4 H 6 recognition mixed matrix membrane is reported via incorporating metal copper encapsulated a metal‐organic framework (CuBTC@Cu) into elastic poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The resulting CuBTC@Cu/PDMS membrane can efficient separate 1,3‐C 4 H 6 from various C 4 hydrocarbons including 1,3‐C 4 H 6 /n‐C 4 H 8 , 1,3‐C 4 H 6 /iso‐C 4 H 8 , 1,3‐C 4 H 6 /n‐C 4 H 10 and 1,3‐C 4 H 6 /iso‐C 4 H 10 , yielding superior selectivity of 5.11, 6.35, 4.78, and 10.30, respectively, with 1,3‐C 4 H 6 permeability of 53240 Barrer. Notably, the appropriate π‐complexation interaction between butadiene molecules and CuBTC@Cu as well as suitable transmission channel size enable the membrane only permeable to 1,3‐C 4 H 6 and block the permeation of other C 4 hydrocarbons, showing a unique 1,3‐C 4 H 6 recognition behavior in membrane separation. The concept of affinity‐relying separation combining molecular sieving would open a new direction for designing gas membranes for efficient light hydrocarbon separations.