Unique Ligand Exchange Dynamics of Metal-Organic Polyhedra for Vitrimer-like Gas Separation Membranes

Metal-organic polyhedra(MOPs)possess a microporous framework and impose hierarchical constraints on their surface ligands,leading to the long-ignored,logarithmic ligand exchange dynamics.Herein,polymer networks with MOP as nanoscale cross-linkers(MOP-CNs)can integrate unique ligand exchange dynamics and microporosity,affording vitrimer-like gas separation membranes with promising mechanical performance and(re)processability.All the ligands on the MOP surfaces are confined and correlated via a 3D coordination framework and their neighboring spaces,giving rise to a high energy barrier for ligand exchange.Therefore,MOP-CNs demonstrate high mechanical strengths at room temperature due to their negligible ligand dynamics.The thermo-activated ligand exchange process with integrated network topology enables facile(re)processing and high solvo-resistance at high temperatures.This facilitates Arrhenius type temperature dependence of flowability and stress relaxation,giving rise to the simultaneous achievement of promising mechanical strengths and(re)processability.Finally,the cage topologies of MOPs endow the materials with a bonus microporous feature and spur their applications as gas separation membranes.

Enhanced gas separation performance of mixed matrix hollow fiber membranes containing post-functionalized S-MIL-53

Mixed matrix hollow fiber membranes（MMHFMs）filled with metal-organic frameworks（MOFs）have great potential for energy-efficient gas separation processes,but the major hurdle is polymer/MOFs interfacial defects and membrane plasticization.Herein,lab-synthesized MIL-53 was post-functionalized by aminosilane grafting and subsequently incorporated into Ultem-1000 polymer matrix to fabricate high performance MMHFMs.SEM,DLS,XRD and TGA were performed to characterize silane-modified MIL-53（S-MIL-53）and prepared MMHFMs.Moreover,the effect of MOFs loading was systematically investigated first;then gas separation performance of MMHFMs for pure and mixed gas was evaluated under different pressures.MMHFMs containing post-functionalized S-MIL-53 achieved remarkable gas permeation properties which was better than model predictions.Compared to pure HFMs,CO2permeance of MMHFM loaded with 15%S-MIL-53 increased by 157%accompanying with 40%increase for CO2/N2selectivity,which outperformed the MMHFM filled with naked MIL-53.The pure and mixed gas permeation measurements with elevated feed pressure indicated that incorporation of S-MIL-53 also increased the resistance against CO2plasticization.This work reveals that post-modified MOFs embedded in MMHFMs facilitate the improvement of gas separation performance and suppression of membrane plasticization.

THE GAS TRANSPORT BEHAVIOR IN AROMATIC POLYESTER MEMBRANES

Six aromatic polyesters were prepared for gas separation membranes, and their permeation properties for hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane were measured at 30 degrees C and 1 atmosphere by low pressure manometric method. The correlation between the gas transport behavior and molecular structure of aromatic polyester membrane is discussed. These data are interpreted qualitatively in terms of the calculated packing density, gas-polymer interaction, concentration of aryl bromine on backbone, and effect of silane group on main chain of polymer.

Advances in high carbon dioxide separation performance of poly(ethylene oxide)-based membranes

Poly(ethylene-oxide)(PEO)-based membranes have attracted much attention recently for CO2 separation because CO2 is highly soluble into PEO and shows high selectivity over other gases such as CH4 and N2.Unfortunately,those membranes are not strong enough mechanically and highly crystalline,which hinders their broader applications for separation membranes.In this review discussions are made,as much in detail as possible,on the strategies to improve gas separation performance of PEO-based membranes.Some of techniques such as synthesis of graft copolymers that contain PEO,cross-linking of polymers and blending with long chains polymers contributed significantly to improvement of membrane.Incorporation of ionic liquids/nanoparticles has also been found effective.However,surface modification of nanoparticles has been done chemically or physically to enhance their compatibility with polymer matrix.As a result of all such efforts,an excellent performance,i.e.,CO2 permeability up to 200 Barrer,CO2/N2 selectivity up to 200 and CO2/CH4 selectivity up to 70,could be achieved.Another method is to introduce functional groups into PEO-based polymers which boosted CO2 permeability up to 200 Barrer with CO2/CH4 selectivity between 40 and 50.The CO2 permeability of PEO-based membranes increases,without much change in selectivity,when the length of ethylene oxide is increased.

First membrane unit for separating CO_2 from natural gas operational

After a more-than-two-week trial operation, a new membrane unit based on the technology developed by researchers from the CAS Dalian Institute of

Gas separation using porous cement membrane

Gas separation is a key issue in various industrial fields. Hydrogen has the potential for application in clean fuel technologies. Therefore, the separation and purification of hydrogen is an important research subject. CO2 capture and storage have important roles in ＂green chemistry＂. As an effective clean technology, gas separation using inorganic membranes has attracted much attention in the last several decades. Membrane processes have many applications in the field of gas separation. Cement is one type of inorganic material, with the advantages of a lower cost and a longer lifespan. An experimental setup has been created and improved to measure twenty different cement membranes. The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of gas molecule properties on the material transport and to explore the influence of operating conditions and membrane composition on separation efficiency. The influences of the above parameters are determined, the best conditions and membrane type are found, it is shown that cementitious material has the ability to separate gas mixtures, and the gas transport mechanism is studied.

STUDY ON SYNTHESES AND PROPERTIES OF SOME NOVEL POLYIMIDES CONTAINING BISTHIAZOLE RINGS

Some novel polyimides containing bisthiazole rings were prepared by reacting 2,2'-diamino-4, 4'-bisthiazole (DART) with different aromatic dianhydride. The polyimides obtained had inherent viscosities of 0.37-0.82 dl/g. Thermogravimetric analysis of the polyimides showed good thermal stability, the temperature at 5% weight loss being from 450 degrees to 560 degrees C. The permeability of two polymer membranes to H-2, O-2 and N-2 was determined, respectively. Three kinds of polyimide films were converted into electrical conductor by pyrolysis at high temperature in nitrogen atmosphere. The maximum room temperature conductivity as high as 3.9x10(2) S/cm for PI him pyrolyzed at 1200 degrees C for 10 min was obtained, and it was very stable in air.

Growth of ZnO self-converted 2D nanosheet zeolitic imidazolate framework membranes by an ammoniaassisted strategy

Shaping crystalline porous materials such as metal organic frameworks （MOFs） and zeolites into two-dimensional （2D） nanosheet forms is highly desirable for developing high-performance molecular sieving membranes. However, conventional exfoliation-deposition is complex and challenging for the large-scale fabrication of nanosheet MOF tubular membranes. Here, for the first time, we report a direct growth technique by ZnO self-conversion and ammonia assistance to fabricate zeolitic imidazolate framework （ZIF） membranes consisting of 2D nanosheets on porous hollow fiber substrates; the membranes are suitable for large-scale industrial gas separation processes. The proposed fabrication process for ZIF nanosheet membranes is based on the localized self-conversion of a pre-deposited thin layer of ZnO in a ligand solution containing ammonium hydroxide as a modulator. The resulting ZIF 2D nanosheet tubular membrane is highly oriented and only 50 nm in thickness. It exhibits excellent molecular sieving performance, with high H2 permeance and selectivity for H2/CO2 separation. This technique shows great promise in MOF nanosheet membrane fabrication for large-scale molecular sieving applications.

Pilot plants of membrane technology in industry:Challenges and key learnings

Membrane technology holds great potential in gas separation applications,especially carbon dioxide capture from industrial processes.To achieve this potential,the outputs from global research endeavours into membrane technologies must be trialled in industrial processes,which requires membrane-based pilot plants.These pilot plants are critical to the commercialization of membrane technology,be it as gas separation membranes or membrane gas-solvent contactors,as failure at the pilot plant level may delay the development of the technology for decades.Here,the author reports on his experience of operating membrane-based pilot plants for gas separation and contactor configurations as part of three industrial carbon capture initiatives:the Mulgrave project,H3 project and Vales Point project.Specifically,the challenges of developing and operating membrane pilot plants are presented,as well as the key learnings on how to successfully manage membrane pilot plants to achieve desired performance outcomes.The purpose is to assist membrane technologists in the carbon capture field to achieve successful outcomes for their technology innovations.