[EMIM][TF2N]-modified silica as filler in mixed matrix membrane for carbon dioxide separation

• Main Authors: Shafie, S. N. A. (Author), Md. Nordin, N. A. H. (Author), Bilad, M. R. (Author), Misdan, N. (Author), Sazali, N. (Author), Adi Putra, Z. (Author), Wirzal, M. D. H. (Author), Idris, A. (Author), Jaafar, J. (Author), Man, Z. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG, 2021.
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 This study focuses on the effect of modified silica fillers by [EMIN][Tf2 N] via physical adsorption on the CO2 separation performance of a mixed matrix membrane (MMM). The IL-modified silica was successfully synthesized as the presence of fluorine element was observed in both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) analyses. The prepared MMMs with different loadings of the IL-modified silica were then compared with an unmodified silica counterpart and neat membrane. The morphology of IL-modified MMMs was observed to have insignificant changes, while polymer chains of were found to be slightly more flexible compared to their counterpart. At 2 bar of operating pressure, a significant increase in performance was observed with the incorporation of 3 wt% Sil-IL fillers compared to that of pure polycarbonate (PC). The permeability increased from 353 to 1151 Barrer while the CO2 /CH4 selectivity increased from 20 to 76. The aforementioned increment also exceeded the Robeson upper bound. This indicates that the incorporation of fillers surface-modified with ionic liquid in an organic membrane is worth exploring for CO2 separation.