Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Membranes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2018) | Viewed by 38143

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Interests: novel membrane materials for CO2 capture from flue gas and syngas; antifouling membranes for water purification; understanding of polymer struc-ture/property correlations in thin films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
Interests: gas separation membrane; nanofiltration; ultrafiltration; functional/smart membrane materials for environmental and energy applications

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Interests: advanced polymeric materials; fluorinated polymers; membranes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea
Interests: membrane; gas separation; liquid separation; fuel cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to submit your original work or review article to this Special Issue of “Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation”. With inherently high energy-efficiency, membrane-based chemical separation processes have become increasingly important technology for industrial gas separations, and attracted significant interest for emerging societally important applications, such as CO2 capture, natural gas processing, and olefin/paraffin separations. Polymers are the working horse for industrial membranes due to their good processibility, while polymers-based mixed matrix materials (comprising metal organic frameworks, 2-D materials, carbon molecular sieves and ionic liquids) are under extensive exploration to achieve superior separation properties.

This issue is dedicated to recent advances in novel materials and processes for membrane gas separation. The topics of interests include, but not limited to, novel membrane materials (polymers and mixed matrix materials), emerging processes or hybrid processes based on membranes, CO2 capture, novel gas separation applications, techno-economic analysis, computational simulation of advanced membrane materials, configuration and processes, preparation and characterization of thin film composite membranes or hollow fiber membranes, membrane aging, etc.

We are looking forward to receiving your outstanding work for this Special Issue.

Sincerely,

Prof. Haiqing Lin
Prof. Lu Shao
Prof. Jianyong Jin
Prof. Ho Bum Park
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Polymeric membranes
  • Gas separation
  • CO2 capture
  • Mixed matrix materials

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 2986 KiB  
Article
Novel Polymeric Thin-Film Composite Membranes for High-Temperature Gas Separations
by Fynn Weigelt, Sara Escorihuela, Alberto Descalzo, Alberto Tena, Sonia Escolástico, Sergey Shishatskiy, Jose Manuel Serra and Torsten Brinkmann
Membranes 2019, 9(4), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9040051 - 10 Apr 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5930
Abstract
Novel selective polymeric thin-film composite membranes (TFCMs) for applications at elevated temperatures were developed. Thin selective layers of the polyimides Matrimid 5218® and 6FDA-6FpDA were cast on a developed polybenzimidazole (PBI) porous support prepared by a phase inversion process. The TFCM properties [...] Read more.
Novel selective polymeric thin-film composite membranes (TFCMs) for applications at elevated temperatures were developed. Thin selective layers of the polyimides Matrimid 5218® and 6FDA-6FpDA were cast on a developed polybenzimidazole (PBI) porous support prepared by a phase inversion process. The TFCM properties were investigated with different gases in a wide temperature range, including temperatures up to 270 °C. The membranes showed very high thermal stability and performed well at the elevated temperatures. The development of highly thermally resistant polymeric membranes such as these TFCMs opens opportunities for application in high-temperature integrated processes, such as catalytic membrane reactors for the water-gas shift reaction in order to maximize H2 yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2401 KiB  
Article
A Novel Time Lag Method for the Analysis of Mixed Gas Diffusion in Polymeric Membranes by On-Line Mass Spectrometry: Pressure Dependence of Transport Parameters
by Marcello Monteleone, Elisa Esposito, Alessio Fuoco, Marek Lanč, Kryštof Pilnáček, Karel Friess, Caterina Grazia Bezzu, Mariolino Carta, Neil Bruce McKeown and Johannes Carolus Jansen
Membranes 2018, 8(3), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes8030073 - 3 Sep 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7844
Abstract
This paper presents a novel method for transient and steady state mixed gas permeation measurements, using a quadrupole residual gas analyser for the on-line determination of the permeate composition. The on-line analysis provides sufficiently quick response times to follow even fast transient phenomena, [...] Read more.
This paper presents a novel method for transient and steady state mixed gas permeation measurements, using a quadrupole residual gas analyser for the on-line determination of the permeate composition. The on-line analysis provides sufficiently quick response times to follow even fast transient phenomena, enabling the unique determination of the diffusion coefficient of the individual gases in a gas mixture. Following earlier work, the method is further optimised for higher gas pressures, using a thin film composite and a thick dense styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer membrane. Finally, the method is used to calculate the CO2/CH4 mixed gas diffusion coefficients of the spirobisfluorene-based polymer of intrinsic microporosity, PIM-SBF-1. It is shown that the modest pressure dependence of the PIM-SBF-1 permeability can be ascribed to a much stronger pressure dependence of the diffusion coefficient, which partially compensates the decreasing solubility of CO2 with increasing pressure, typical for the strong sorption behaviour in PIMs. The characteristics of the instrument are discussed and suggestions are given for even more versatile measurements under stepwise increasing pressure conditions. This is the first report on mixed gas diffusion coefficients at different pressures in a polymer of intrinsic microporosity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 5213 KiB  
Article
Effective Conversion of Amide to Carboxylic Acid on Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIM-1) with Nitrous Acid
by Wei-Hsuan Wu, Paul Thomas, Paul Hume and Jianyong Jin
Membranes 2018, 8(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes8020020 - 18 Apr 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7976
Abstract
Carboxylate-functionalised polymers of intrinsic microporosity (C-PIMs) are highly desirable materials for membrane separation applications. The recently reported method to afford C-PIMs was via an extensive base hydrolysis process requiring 360 h. Herein, a novel and effective method to convert PIM-CONH2 to C-PIM [...] Read more.
Carboxylate-functionalised polymers of intrinsic microporosity (C-PIMs) are highly desirable materials for membrane separation applications. The recently reported method to afford C-PIMs was via an extensive base hydrolysis process requiring 360 h. Herein, a novel and effective method to convert PIM-CONH2 to C-PIM using nitrous acid was studied. The chemical structure of C-PIM was characterised by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FTIR, elemental analysis, UV-Vis, TGA and TGA-MS. Complete conversion from amide to carboxylic acid groups was confirmed. Decarboxylation of C-PIM was also successfully studied by TGA-MS for the first time, with a loss of m/z 44 amu (CO2) observed at the first degradation stage. TGA also revealed decreased thermal stability of C-PIM relative to PIM-CONH2 under both N2 and air atmosphere. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis showed continuous molecular weight degradation of C-PIM with extended reaction time. Aromatic nitration was also observed as a side reaction in some cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 8108 KiB  
Article
Gas Separation Properties of Polyimide Thin Films on Ceramic Supports for High Temperature Applications
by Sara Escorihuela, Alberto Tena, Sergey Shishatskiy, Sonia Escolástico, Torsten Brinkmann, Jose Manuel Serra and Volker Abetz
Membranes 2018, 8(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes8010016 - 7 Mar 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 8677
Abstract
Novel selective ceramic-supported thin polyimide films produced in a single dip coating step are proposed for membrane applications at elevated temperatures. Layers of the polyimides P84®, Matrimid 5218®, and 6FDA-6FpDA were successfully deposited onto porous alumina supports. In order [...] Read more.
Novel selective ceramic-supported thin polyimide films produced in a single dip coating step are proposed for membrane applications at elevated temperatures. Layers of the polyimides P84®, Matrimid 5218®, and 6FDA-6FpDA were successfully deposited onto porous alumina supports. In order to tackle the poor compatibility between ceramic support and polymer, and to get defect-free thin films, the effect of the viscosity of the polymer solution was studied, giving the entanglement concentration (C*) for each polymer. The C* values were 3.09 wt. % for the 6FDA-6FpDA, 3.52 wt. % for Matrimid®, and 4.30 wt. % for P84®. A minimum polymer solution concentration necessary for defect-free film formation was found for each polymer, with the inverse order to the intrinsic viscosities (P84® ≥ Matrimid® >> 6FDA-6FpDA). The effect of the temperature on the permeance of prepared membranes was studied for H2, CH4, N2, O2, and CO2. As expected, activation energy of permeance for hydrogen was higher than for CO2, resulting in H2/CO2 selectivity increase with temperature. More densely packed polymers lead to materials that are more selective at elevated temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

14 pages, 4402 KiB  
Review
Engineering Sub-Nanometer Channels in Two-Dimensional Materials for Membrane Gas Separation
by Liang Huang and Haiqing Lin
Membranes 2018, 8(4), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes8040100 - 29 Oct 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6644
Abstract
Sub-nanochannels constructed by stacking two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets in parallel provide a unique molecular separation pathway with excellent size-sieving ability for membrane gas separation. Herein we review the progress in engineering these 2D channels for efficient gas separation including graphene, graphene oxide (GO), molybdenum [...] Read more.
Sub-nanochannels constructed by stacking two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets in parallel provide a unique molecular separation pathway with excellent size-sieving ability for membrane gas separation. Herein we review the progress in engineering these 2D channels for efficient gas separation including graphene, graphene oxide (GO), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and MXene. Mixed matrix materials containing these 2D materials in polymers are also reviewed and compared with conventional polymers for gas separation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop