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Analogous Mixed Matrix Membranes with Self‐Assembled Interface Pathways
Author(s) -
Dou Haozhen,
Xu Mi,
Wang Baoyu,
Zhang Zhen,
Luo Dan,
Shi Benbing,
Wen Guobin,
Mousavi Mahboubeh,
Yu Aiping,
Bai Zhengyu,
Jiang Zhongyi,
Chen Zhongwei
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202014893
Subject(s) - membrane , selectivity , chemistry , ethylene glycol , covalent bond , ionic bonding , ionic liquid , graphene , ethylene , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , materials science , chemical physics , ion , organic chemistry , biochemistry , engineering , catalysis
The implementation of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for sub‐angstrom scale gas separations remains a grand challenge. Herein, a series of analogous mixed matrix membrane (AMMMs) were constructed via molecular‐level hybridization by utilizing a reactive ionic liquid (RIL) as the continuous phase and graphene quantum dots (GQD) as nanofiller for sub‐angstrom scale ethylene/ethane (0.416 nm/0.443 nm) separation. With a small number of GQDs (3.5 wt%) embedded in GQD/RIL AMMMs, ethylene permeability soared by 3.1‐fold, and ethylene/ethane selectivity simultaneously boosted by nearly 60 % and reached up to 99.5, which outperformed most previously reported state‐of‐the‐art membranes. Importantly, the interfacial pathway structure was visualized and their self‐assembly mechanism was revealed, where the non‐covalent interactions between RIL and GQDs induced the local arrangement of IL chains to self‐assemble into plenty of compact and superfast interfacial pathways, contributing to the combination of superhigh permeability and selectivity.