Improving membrane performance by incorporating polymer-embedded
metal-organic framework microspheres
Wufeng Wu,† Pengcheng Su,† Wanbin
Li*
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School
of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, P.R. China
†W.W. and P.S. contributed equally to the paper.
*Corresponding author. E-mail address: gandeylin@126.com (W. L.)
Abstract: The controlling filler aggregation and strengthening
interfacial interaction are of great scientific significance for mixed
matrix membranes (MMMs). In this study, the polymer-embedded
metal-organic framework (pMOF) microspheres (MSs) are designed by
one-pot synthesis and employed as microfillers for improving separation
performance of MMMs. Through adding polymer during solvothermal
crystallization, the polymer chains are embedded into the MOF materials,
and the morphologies of the MOFs are transformed from nanopaticles to
polycrystalline MSs. Since the embedding of the identical polymer
promotes the compatibility of polymeric matrixes and fillers, as well as
the micrometer-sized porous MSs offer additionally superior and
permanent transport pathways, the resulted MMMs display simultaneously
enhanced selectivity and permeability for carbon capture. The
CO2/CH4 selectivity and
CO2 permeability of the pMOF MMMs are achieved at 1.3
and 2.2 times as those of the pure polymeric membranes, and 1.5 and 1.2
times as those of the MOF MMMs, respectively.
Keywords: metal-organic frameworks, polymer-embedding,
interfacial compatibility, mixed matrix membranes, carbon capture