Enhanced O2/N2 separation of mixed-matrix membrane filled with pluronic-compatibilized cobalt phthalocyanine particles

• Main Authors: Samarasinghe, Samarasinghe Arachchige Sulashi Chathushka, Chuah, Chong Yang, Karahan, Huseyin Enis, Sethunga, Godakooru Sethunga Mudiyanselage Dilhara Prebhashwari, Bae, Tae-Hyun
• Other Authors: Interdisciplinary Graduate School (IGS)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Chemical engineering; O2/N2 Separation; Matrimid
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/146273
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Membrane-based air separation (O2/N2) is of great importance owing to its energy efficiency as compared to conventional processes. Currently, dense polymeric membranes serve as the main pillar of industrial processes used for the generation of O2- and N2-enriched gas. However, conventional polymeric membranes often fail to meet the selectivity needs owing to the similarity in the effective diameters of O2 and N2 gases. Meanwhile, mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) are convenient to produce high-performance membranes while keeping the advantages of polymeric materials. Here, we propose a novel MMM for O2/N2 separation, which is composed of Matrimid® 5218 (Matrimid) as the matrix, cobalt(II) phthalocyanine microparticles (CoPCMPs) as the filler, and Pluronic® F-127 (Pluronic) as the compatibilizer. By the incorporation of CoPCMPs to Matrimid, without Pluronic, interfacial defects were formed. Pluronic-treated CoPCMPs, on the other hand, enhanced O2 permeability and O2/N2 selectivity by 64% and 34%, respectively. We explain the enhancement achieved with the increase of both O2 diffusivity and O2/N2 solubility selectivity.