Issue 3, 2023

Hierarchically microporous membranes for highly energy-efficient gas separations

Abstract

The implementation of synthetic polymer membranes in gas separations, ranging from natural gas sweetening, hydrogen separation, helium recovery, carbon capture, oxygen/nitrogen enrichment, etc., has stimulated the vigorous development of high-performance membrane materials. However, size-sieving types of synthetic polymer membranes are frequently subject to a trade-off between permeability and selectivity, primarily due to the lack of ability to boost fractional free volume while simultaneously controlling the micropore size distribution. Herein, we review recent research progress on microporosity manipulation in high-free-volume polymeric gas separation membranes and their gas separation performance, with an emphasis on membranes with hourglass-shaped or bimodally distributed microcavities. State-of-the-art strategies to construct tailorable and hierarchically microporous structures, microporosity characterization, and microcavity architecture that govern gas separation performance are systematically summarized.

Keywords: Gas separation membranes; Hierarchical microporosity; Micropore size distribution; Configurational free volume; Solution–diffusion mechanism.

Graphical abstract: Hierarchically microporous membranes for highly energy-efficient gas separations

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
28 noy 2022
Accepted
13 fev 2023
First published
06 mar 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Ind. Chem. Mater., 2023,1, 376-387

Hierarchically microporous membranes for highly energy-efficient gas separations

S. Luo, T. Han, C. Wang, Y. Sun, H. Zhang, R. Guo and S. Zhang, Ind. Chem. Mater., 2023, 1, 376 DOI: 10.1039/D2IM00049K

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