CONCLUSIONS
In summary, we have developed a concept of embedding polymer in MOFs by
simple one-pot synthesis to improve the separation performance of MMMs.
The versatile polymer embedding strategy can promote the formation of
large MOF microspheres and strengthen the interaction of fillers to
polymer matrixes, while maintaining the crystalline structures of MOFs.
Thanks to the elimination of the interfacial voids and filler
aggregations from embedding polymer, and the formation of superior
transport channels from incorporating large pMOF MSs, the prepared MMMs
with excellent compatibility exhibit greatly enhanced selectivity and
permeability. For examples, the pMOF-MS/PSF MMMs show 220% and 123%
CO2 permeability and 131% and 145%
CO2/CH4 selectivity as the pure PSF
membranes and MOF MMMs, respectively. The substantially increased
permeability and selectivity, coupled with the simple, versatile, and
efficient preparation processes, indicate that the polymer-embedding of
MOF fillers reported here offers an alternative route to improve filler
geometry, interfacial compatibility, and transport passages for
obtaining high-performance MMMs.