Preparation and characterization of hybrid membranes based on poly(ether-b-amide)

Abstract

Novel hybrid membranes based on poly(ether-b-amide) copolymers and amine-modified mesoporous silica MCM-48 were prepared by the casting method. To the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence about the application of amine-modified MCM-48 silica in the fabrication of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) based on PEBA copolymers. MMMs were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Modification of MCM-48 with the organosilane improved the compatibility with the polymeric matrix. In addition, the separation performance of prepared membranes was investigated by experiments of pure gas permeation. The incorporation of modified nanoparticles into the polymeric matrix improved the gas separation performance of the fabricated nanocomposite membranes. By comparing with pristine PEBA membranes, MMM with 2.5 % of APS-MCM-48 exhibited higher ideal selectivity for the gas pairs CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2.