Constructing Strong Interfacial Interactions under Mild Conditions in MOF-Incorporated Mixed Matrix Membranes for Gas Separation
Zhenggong Wang, Yangyang Tian, Wangxi Fang, Binod Babu Shrestha, Menghui Huang, Jian Jin
Abstract
Although mixed matrix membranes (MMM) possess remarkably improved gas separation performance compared to traditional polymeric membranes, membrane stability including CO 2 plasticization and aging is still a serious issue due to the existence of interfacial defects. In this work, we report an efficient and less destructive route to cross-link the MOFs/polyimide (PI) MMM, where amine group-functionalized MOF (NH 2 -UiO-66) nanoparticles are thermally cross-linked with a carboxylic acid-functionalized PI (COOH-PI) matrix to form an amide bond at the interface at 150 °C under vacuum condition. Such a chemical cross-linking strategy conducted at a relatively mild condition improves membrane stability greatly while ensuring that the membrane structure is not destroyed. The resulting cross-linked MMM achieves enhanced mechanical strength with higher Young’s modulus than a pristine polymer membrane. The CO 2 antiplasticization pressure of the MMM after cross-linking is enhanced by 200% from ∼10 to >30 bar and the CO 2 permeability of MMM only drops slightly from 995 to 735 Barrer after 450 days. At the same time, the separation performance of H 2 /CH 4 gas pair surpasses the 2008 upper bound and that of CO 2 /CH 4 gas pair nearly approaches the 2008 upper bound. The cross-linking strategy used herein provides a feasible and effective route for improving membrane stability and membrane performance in the MMM system for gas separation.