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An Untrodden Path: Versatile Fabrication of Self‐Supporting Polymer‐Stabilized Percolation Membranes (PSPMs) for Gas Separation
Author(s) -
Friebe Sebastian,
Mundstock Alexander,
Schneider Daniel,
Caro Jürgen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201701266
Subject(s) - membrane , materials science , gas separation , polymer , ceramic , percolation (cognitive psychology) , chemical engineering , percolation threshold , zeolite , synthetic membrane , fabrication , polymer chemistry , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , engineering , medicine , biochemistry , electrical engineering , alternative medicine , pathology , neuroscience , biology , electrical resistivity and conductivity
The preparation and scalability of zeolite or metal organic framework (MOF) membranes remains a major challenge, and thus prevents the application of these materials in large‐scale gas separation. Additionally, several zeolite or MOF materials are quite difficult or nearly impossible to grow as defect‐free layers, and require expensive macroporous ceramic or polymer supports. Here, we present new self‐supporting zeolite and MOF composite membranes, called Polymer‐Stabilized Percolation Membranes (PSPMs), consisting of a pressed gas selective percolation network (in our case ZIF‐8, NaX and MIL‐140) and a gas‐impermeable infiltrated epoxy resin for cohesion. We demonstrate the performance of these PSPMs by separating binary mixtures of H 2 /CO 2 and H 2 /CH 4 . We report the brickwork‐like architecture featuring selective percolation pathways and the polymer as a stabilizer, compare the mechanical stability of said membranes with competing materials, and give an outlook on how economic these membranes may become.