Nanocarbon-Based Mixed Matrix Pebax-1657 Flat Sheet Membranes for CO₂/CH₄ Separation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Pebax-1657 (poly(ether-block-amide)) is a versatile polymer for membrane applications.
• Enhancing mechanical properties and gas separation performance of polymers is crucial for industrial applications.
• Carbon nanofillers offer unique properties for composite material development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) using Pebax-1657 and various carbon nanofillers.
• To investigate the effect of nanofiller type (MWCNTs, GNPs) and treatment (plasma, oxidized) on membrane properties.
• To evaluate the gas separation performance of MMMs for CO2/CH4 mixtures.

Main Methods:

• Solution casting method for MMM preparation.
• SEM and FTIR for membrane characterization.
• Tensile testing and gas permeation experiments for performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• Oxidized graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) significantly improved tensile strength (55.3%) and modulus (3.2x) compared to pure Pebax-1657.
• Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) exhibited up to fivefold increase in gas permeability without compromising selectivity.
• Maximum CO2/CH4 separation factor of 21.9 with CO2 permeability of 384 Barrer achieved.

Conclusions:

• Incorporation of carbon nanofillers, particularly oxidized GNPs, enhances both mechanical and gas separation properties of Pebax-1657 based MMMs.
• Developed MMMs show promising performance for CO2/CH4 separation, offering higher permeability and selectivity.
• The study demonstrates the potential of MMMs for advanced gas separation technologies.