Membranes with Intrinsic Micro-Porosity: Structure, Solubility, and Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Separation Science

Background:

• Microporous polymer membranes are crucial for separation processes.
• Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) exhibit unique permeability and processability.
• Existing reviews often focus on gas separation or PIM monomers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of the structure-solubility relationship in PIMs.
• To summarize solubility trends across different PIM structures (non-network and network).
• To review PIM applications in nanofiltration, pervaporation, and gas/vapor separation.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of PIMs with varying macromolecular structures.
• Analysis of structure-property correlations, specifically focusing on solubility.
• Compilation and categorization of PIM applications in different separation fields.

Main Results:

• Different monomer compositions and macromolecular architectures (non-network, network) significantly influence PIM solubility.
• Solubility is directly linked to the specific structural features of PIMs.
• PIMs demonstrate versatility across various separation applications, including nanofiltration and gas/vapor separation.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the structure-solubility nexus is key to designing high-performance PIMs.
• Future research should address challenges in physical aging and further optimize structure-property relationships.
• PIMs hold significant promise as next-generation materials for advanced membrane separations.