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Thin Film Composite Silicon Elastomers for Cell Culture and Skin Applications: Manufacturing and Characterization

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Uncertainty in Composite Membranes: From Defect Engineering to Film Processing.

Justin J Teesdale¹, Moonjoo Lee¹, Ruoxin Lu¹

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|December 28, 2022

Summary

Defect engineering in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) impacts composite membrane performance. Low-porosity MOFs unexpectedly enhanced CO2/CH4 separation, but decreased sorption capacity offset diffusion gains, highlighting the need for replicate experiments.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Chemical Engineering
Nanotechnology

Background:

Composite membranes with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show promise for gas separations.
Reproducibility issues in MOF synthesis and membrane fabrication hinder commercialization.
The impact of MOF crystal defects on membrane transport properties is poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of MOF porosity and defects on composite membrane performance.
To establish reliable structure-property correlations for MOF-polymer membranes.
To address uncertainties in MOF synthesis and membrane manufacturing for improved reproducibility.

Main Methods:

Synthesized two UiO-66-NH2 MOF samples with controlled, differing porosities.
Fabricated composite membranes using 6FDA-Durene polymer and the synthesized MOFs.
Conducted light gas permeation and sorption measurements.
Applied the Maxwell model for performance extrapolation.

Main Results:

Low-porosity UiO-66-NH2 composites showed a small, unexpected CO2/CH4 performance enhancement.
High-porosity MOFs exhibited a 50% decrease in sorption capacity, negating diffusion benefits.
Replicate experiments revealed significant sample-to-sample variation, obscuring differences at low MOF loadings.
Extrapolation using the Maxwell model showed considerable variability.

Conclusions:

MOF defect engineering significantly influences composite membrane gas transport and sorption.
Controlled synthesis and rigorous replicate testing are crucial for reliable MOF membrane development.
Variability in MOF properties can mask performance enhancements, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols.