Sub-micro porous thin polymer membranes for discriminating H2 and CO2
Xueru Yan, Tianqi Song, Min Li, Zhi Wang, Xinlei Liu
Abstract
Abstract Polymeric membranes with high permeance and remarkable selectivity for simultaneous H 2 purification and CO 2 capture under industry-relevant conditions are absent. Herein, sub-micro pores with precise molecular sieving capability are created in ultra-thin (13–30 nm) polymer membranes via controllable transformation of amine-linked polymer (ALP) films into benzimidazole-and-amine-linked polymer (BIALP) layers. The BIALP membranes exhibit stable unprecedented H 2 /CO 2 selectivity of 120 with a H 2 permeance of 315 GPU. Furthermore, high pressure (up to 11 bar) and thermal (up to 300 °C) resistance is delivered. This work provides a concept on designing porous polymeric membranes for precise molecular discrimination.