Polypyrrole‐aided surface decoration of graphene oxide nanosheets as fillers for poly(ether‐ b ‐amid) mixed matrix membranes to enhance CO ₂ capture

Abstract

Summary Modified graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets as fillers within poly(ether‐b‐amid) (PEBA) copolymer as matrix were used for mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) fabrication to improve CO2 capture. The GO nanosheets were modified by polypyrrole (PPy) and zinc cations. The former that have conjugated N‐containing groups provided a high degree of affinity toward CO2, and the latter has facilitated the gas molecules transport through the gas channel passages. The different modified GO nanosheets were characterized by HRTEM, FT‐IR, FESEM, XRD, and XPS analyses. Also, the FT‐IR, XRD, AFM, and SEM methods were used for the structural and morphological characterizations of the prepared MMMs with 0.1 wt% of the nanofiller. Gas permeation tests for CH4, N2, and CO2 were then performed for all prepared membranes. Compared to the neat PEBA membrane, the selectivity of both CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 for PEBA‐GO‐PPy membrane increased up to 62% and 51% and for the PEBA‐GO‐PPy‐Zn membrane increased up to 58% and 56%, respectively. Furthermore, the PEBA‐GO‐PPy‐Zn disclosed a 10% increase in permeability of CO2 than the neat membrane. For PEBA‐GO‐PPy MMM, the permeability of CO2 was 122.4 Barrer, and the selectivity of CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 was 29.8 and 122.5, respectively. Moreover, the gas separation results for PEBA‐GO‐PPy‐Zn MMM were about 131.8 Barrer for CO2 permeability and 30.7 and 119.2 for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivities, respectively. Besides, the CO2/N2 selectivity of PEBA‐GO‐PPy and PEBA‐GO‐PPy‐Zn overcomes the Robeson's upper bound.

State-of-the-Art Organic- and Inorganic-Based Hollow Fiber Membranes in Liquid and Gas Applications: Looking Back and Beyond

“…Conductive polymer membranes were reported for H 2 separation (e.g., H 2 /CO 2 , H 2 /N 2 ), air purification, and CO 2 capture (e.g., CO 2 /N 2 , CO 2 /CH 4 ) in the form of self-supported membranes, composite membranes, and polymer blend membranes. Examples of conductive polymers that have been extensively reported for gas separation include PANI [ 111 , 467 , 468 , 469 , 470 , 471 , 472 , 473 , 474 , 475 , 476 , 477 , 478 , 479 , 480 , 481 ], polypyrrole [ 482 , 483 , 484 , 485 , 486 , 487 , 488 , 489 ], and polythiophene [ 490 , 491 , 492 ]. A comprehensive review of conductive polymer-based membranes for gas separation application was reported recently [ 117 ].…”

A Review of the Recent Progress in the Development of Nanocomposites Based on Poly(ether-block-amide) Copolymers as Membranes for CO2 Separation

“…GO nanosheets were also modified using polypyrrole and zinc cations [ 54 ] or by covalently grafting silane followed by the polyetheramine canopy (M2070) forming solvent-free hybrid nanofluids (denoted as GO NF) [ 38 ]. GO flakes functionalized with iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 –GO) were aligned in the polymer matrix under a magnetic field ( Figure 5 ), demonstrating a better gas separation performance when vertically aligned than MMMs with a random arrangement of Fe 3 O 4 –GO [ 55 ].…”

“…An increase in the permeability of CO 2 as a polar gas with the increasing of the pressure was observed in MMMs filled with GO-PPy due to the increase in gas sorption [ 54 ]. Instead, the permeability of the bulkier CH 4 molecules was decreased due to the membranes having a more compact structure.…”

Molecular simulation study on permeation behavior of small molecules in graphyne/polypyrrole mixed matrix membrane

“…Asghari used modified graphene oxide nanosheets as fillers and poly(ether‐b‐amid) copolymer as a matrix to prepare MMMs. It was found to show good results in terms of CO 2 permeability, CO 2 /methane, and CO 2 /nitrogen selectivity 32 . Yoshimoto investigated the adsorption and diffusion behaviors of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 in interfacial systems composed of a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM‐1) and amorphous silica.…”

“…It was found to show good results in terms of CO 2 permeability, CO 2 /methane, and CO 2 /nitrogen selectivity. 32 Yoshimoto investigated the adsorption and diffusion behaviors of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 in interfacial systems composed of a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) and amorphous silica. It was found that due to the competition effect on the silica surface, the MMMs formed larger pores and promoted the diffusion of CH 4 and N 2 gases.…”