Integration of Stable Ionic Liquid-Based Nanofluids into Polymer Membranes. Part I: Membrane Synthesis and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Polymer membranes are crucial for gas separation.
• Functionalization with ionic liquids (ILs) and graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) can enhance membrane performance.
• Graphene ionanofluids (IoNFs) represent a novel class of materials for membrane technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize polymer membranes functionalized with ILs and xGnP (IoNFs).
• To investigate the stability, morphology, and polymer-IoNF interactions within these membranes.
• To analyze the thermodynamic properties and phase transitions of the functionalized membranes.

Main Methods:

• Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for stability assessment.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical profilometry (WLOP) for morphology.
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for interaction and distribution analysis.
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for thermodynamic properties and phase transitions.

Main Results:

• SEM revealed xGnP migration to the surface, influenced by IL-xGnP interactions.
• FTIR confirmed polymer-IoNF interactions and IL distribution.
• DSC showed decreased melting point and enthalpy of polyamide (PA6) blocks, and loss of polyether (PEO) crystallinity with increasing IL content.

Conclusions:

• The developed IoNF-based polymer membranes exhibit high compatibility and good miscibility between the polymer and IoNF.
• These functionalized membranes are promising for efficient gas separation applications.
• The controlled incorporation of ILs and xGnP offers a pathway to tailor membrane properties.