Chemical vapour deposition of metalloporphyrins: a simple route towards the preparation of gas separation membranes

Abstract

A simple and easily scalable approach towards the preparation of gas separation membranes is described. UV-vis spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography undoubtedly evidenced the polymerisation of porphyrin building units and highlighted the significance of the proposed initiated plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition approach. The porphyrins are further copolymerised with a cross-linking agent, i.e. divinylbenzene (DVB), to form dense and microporous P(DVB-co-ZnTPC) thin films with enhanced chemical stability and superior gas separation properties. The gas separation performances for CO₂/CH₄, H₂/N₂ and H₂/CH₄ reach 150, 224 and 550, respectively, indicating that the P(DVB-co-ZnTPC) thin films have great potential applications for natural gas sweetening and hydrogen separation.