Enhancing hydrogen gas permeability and selectivity by incorporating MIL-100 Metal–Organic frameworks into polycarbonate membrane

Abstract

The integration of inorganic fillers into polymers is promising to surpass the limitations of conventional membranes. Here, MIL-100 nanomaterial synthesized using the solvothermal method was uniformly integrated into polycarbonate matrix at different concentrations to fabricate mixed matrix membranes. The nanomaterial was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-vis characterization techniques to confirm its structure, morphology, and suitability in membranes. The membranes were also characterized for their morphology, characteristic bonding, and interfacial compatibility between the material-filler dispersion. The gas separation performance study revealed 136% increment in the H2 permeability, and 85.3% and 53% increment in the H2/N2 and H2/CO2 selectivity. The performance improvement is attributed to the facilitation of preferential pathways for gas diffusion, which highlight their potential in advanced gas separation applications and exemplify a promising strategy for further engineering of tunable properties for gas transportation.