Investigation of the chemical and morphological structure of thermally rearranged polymers

Thermally Rearranged Mixed Matrix Membranes from Copoly(o-hydroxyamide)s and Copoly(o-hydroxyamide-amide)s with a Porous Polymer Network as a Filler-A Comparison of Their Gas Separation Performances

Copoly(o-hydroxyamide)s (HPA) and copoly(o-hydroxyamide-amide)s (PAA) have been synthesized to be used as continuous phases in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). These polymeric matrices were blended with different loads (15 and 30 wt.%) of a relatively highly microporous porous polymer network (PPN). SEM images of the manufactured MMMs exhibited good compatibility between the two phases for all the membranes studied, and their mechanical properties have been shown to be good enough even after thermal treatment. The WAX results show that the addition of PPN as a filler up to 30% does not substantially change the intersegmental distance and the polymer packing. It seems that, for all the membranes studied, the free volume that determines gas transport is in the high end of the possible range. This means that gas flow occurs mainly between the microvoids in the polymer matrix around the filler. In general, both HPA- and PAA-based MMMs exhibited a notable improvement in gas permeability, due to the presence of PPN, for all gases tested, with an almost constant selectivity. In summary, although the thermal stability of the PAA is limited by the thermal stability of the polyamide side chain, their mechanical properties were better. The permeability was higher for the PAA membranes before their thermal rearrangement, and these values increased after the addition of moderate amounts of PPN.

Recent Advances in Membrane-Based Biogas and Biohydrogen Upgrading

Biogas and biohydrogen, due to their renewable nature and zero carbon footprint, are considered two of the gaseous biofuels that will replace conventional fossil fuels. Biogas from anaerobic digestion must be purified and converted into high-quality biomethane prior to use as a vehicle fuel or injection into natural gas networks. Likewise, the enrichment of biohydrogen from dark fermentation requires the removal of CO2, which is the main pollutant of this new gaseous biofuel. Currently, the removal of CO2 from both biogas and biohydrogen is carried out by means of physical/chemical technologies, which exhibit high operating costs and corrosion problems. Biological technologies for CO2 removal from biogas, such as photosynthetic enrichment and hydrogenotrophic enrichment, are still in an experimental development phase. In this context, membrane separation has emerged as the only physical/chemical technology with the potential to improve the performance of CO2 separation from both biogas and biohydrogen, and to reduce investment and operating costs, as a result of the recent advances in the field of nanotechnology and materials science. This review will focus on the fundamentals, potential and limitations of CO2 and H2 membrane separation technologies. The latest advances on membrane materials for biogas and biohydrogen purification will be systematically reviewed.

Free Volume and Permeability of Mixed Matrix Membranes Made from a Terbutil-M-terphenyl Polyamide and a Porous Polymer Network

A set of thermally rearranged mixed matrix membranes (TR-MMMs) was manufactured and tested for gas separation. These membranes were obtained through the thermal treatment of a precursor MMM with a microporous polymer network and an o-hydroxypolyamide,(HPA) created through a reaction of 2,2-bis(3-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)-hexafluoropropane (APAF) and 5′-terbutil-m-terfenilo-3,3″-dicarboxylic acid dichloride (tBTmCl). This HPA was blended with different percentages of a porous polymer network (PPN) filler, which produced gas separation MMMs with enhanced gas permeability but with decreased selectivity. The thermal treatment of these MMMs gave membranes with excellent gas separation properties that did not show the selectivity decreasing trend. It was observed that the use of the PPN load brought about a small decrease in the initial mass losses, which were lower for increasing PPN loads. Regarding the glass transition temperature, it was observed that the use of the filler translated to a slightly lower Tg value. When these MMMs and TR-MMMs were compared with the analogous materials created from the isomeric 5′-terbutil-m-terfenilo-4,4″-dicarboxylic acid dichloride (tBTpCl), the permeability was lower for that of tBTmCl, compared with the one from tBTpCl, although selectivity was quite similar. This fact could be attributed to a lower rigidity as roughly confirmed by the segmental length of the polymer chain as studied by WAXS. A model for FFV calculation was proposed and its predictions compared with those evaluated from density measurements assuming a matrix-filler interaction or ideal independence. It turns out that permeability as a function of FFV for TR-MMMs follows an interaction trend, while those not thermally treated follow the non-interaction trend until relatively high PPN loads were reached.

Single-gas and mixed-gas permeation of N2/CH4 in thermally-rearranged TR-PBO membranes and their 6FDA-bisAPAF polyimide precursor studied by molecular dynamics simulations

High-performance polymers with polybenzoxazole (PBO) structures, formed via thermal rearrangement (TR) of aromatic polyimide precursors, have been developed for gas separation applications. The present work compares the transport of N₂ and CH₄ in a 6FDA-bisAPAF polyimide precursor and in its TR-PBO derivative using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The modelling closely mimicked the experimental approach by transforming a 6FDA-bisAPAF atomistic model into its corresponding TR-PBO structure via a specific algorithm. The densities and void spaces of both precursor and TR polymers were found to compare well to experimental data. An iterative technique was used to obtain the single-gas sorption isotherms of N₂ and CH₄ at 338.5 K in both polymers over a range of feed pressures up to and exceeding 65 bar. CH₄ was systematically found to be more soluble than N₂. Solubilities in both matrices were quite similar with those in TR-PBO being slightly higher due to its larger fraction of significant volume. Volume dilation analyses confirmed a higher resistance to plasticization for TR-PBO. Extended single-gas N₂ and CH₄ simulations and 2 : 1 binary CH₄/N₂ mixed-gas simulations were then conducted in both matrices at 338.5 K and at a pressure of ∼65 bar corresponding to natural gas processing conditions. Mixed-gas sorption was modelled using a modification of the aforementioned iterative method, which fixed the pressure and iterated to convergence the number of molecules of each type of penetrant. The gas diffusion coefficients were estimated using the Trajectory-Extending Kinetic Monte Carlo (TEKMC) procedure. As found experimentally, significantly higher diffusivities and permeabilities were observed in the TR polymer, which led to a slightly lower ideal N₂/CH₄ permselectivity for TR-PBO (∼2.6) when compared to its 6FDA-bisAPAF precursor (∼3.8). However, both models showed a reduced N₂/CH₄ separation efficiency under 2 : 1 binary CH₄/N₂ mixed-gas conditions bordering on the loss of selectivity. For 6FDA-bisAPAF, both permeabilities decreased in the mixed-gas case, but more for N₂ than for CH₄. For TR-PBO, the permeability of the faster N₂ decreased while the permeability of the slower CH₄ increased under mixed-gas conditions. This confirms that single-gas simulations are not sufficient for the prediction of the actual mixed-gas permselectivity behaviour in such polymers.

Gas Permeability, Fractional Free Volume and Molecular Kinetic Diameters: The Effect of Thermal Rearrangement on ortho-hydroxy Polyamide Membranes Loaded with a Porous Polymer Network

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) consisting of an ortho-hydroxy polyamide (HPA) matrix, and variable loads of a porous polymer network (PPN) were thermally treated to induce the transformation of HPA to polybenzoxazole (β-TR-PBO). Two different HPAs were synthesized to be used as a matrix, 6FCl-APAF and tBTpCl-APAF, while the PPN used as a filler was prepared by reacting triptycene and trifluoroacetophenone. The permeability of He, H2, N2, O2, CH4 and CO2 gases through these MMMs are analyzed as a function of the fraction of free volume (FFV) of the membrane and the kinetic diameter of the gas, allowing for the evaluation of the free volume. Thermal rearrangement entails an increase in the FFV. Both before and after thermal rearrangement, the free volume increases with the PPN content very similarly for both polymeric matrices. It is shown that there is a portion of free volume that is inaccessible to permeation (occluded volume), probably due to it being trapped within the filler. In fact, permeability and selectivity change below what could be expected according to densities, when the fraction of occluded volume increases. A higher filler load increases the percentage of inaccessible or trapped free volume, probably due to the increasing agglomeration of the filler. On the other hand, the phenomenon is slightly affected by thermal rearrangement. The fraction of trapped free volume seems to be lower for membranes in which the tBTpCl-APAF is used as a matrix than for those with a 6FCl-APAF matrix, possibly because tBTpCl-APAF could approach the PPN better. The application of an effective medium theory for permeability allowed us to extrapolate for a 100% filler, giving the same value for both thermally rearranged and non-rearranged MMMs. The pure filler could also be extrapolated by assuming the same tendency as in the Robeson's plots for MMMs with low filler content.

Gas Separation by Mixed Matrix Membranes with Porous Organic Polymer Inclusions within o-Hydroxypolyamides Containing m-Terphenyl Moieties

A hydroxypolyamide (HPA) manufactured from 2,2-bis(3-amino-4-hydroxy phenyl)-hexafluoropropane (APAF) diamine and 5′-terbutyl-m-terphenyl-4,4′′-dicarboxylic acid chloride (tBTpCl), and a copolyimide produced by stochiometric copolymerization of APAF and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diamine (6FpDA), using the same diacid chloride, were obtained and used as polymeric matrixes in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) loaded with 20% (w/w) of two porous polymer networks (triptycene-isatin, PPN-1, and triptycene-trifluoroacetophenone, PPN-2). These MMMs, and also the thermally rearranged membranes (TR-MMMs) that underwent a thermal treatment process to convert the o-hydroxypolyamide moieties to polybenzoxazole ones, were characterized, and their gas separation properties evaluated for H₂, N₂, O₂, CH₄, and CO₂. Both TR process and the addition of PPN increased permeability with minor decreases in selectivity for all gases tested. Excellent results were obtained, in terms of the permeability versus selectivity compromise, for H₂/CH₄ and H₂/N₂ separations with membranes approaching the 2008 Robeson’s trade-off line. The best gas separation properties were obtained when PPN-2 was used. Finally, gas permeation was characterized in terms of chain intersegmental distance and fraction of free volume of the membrane along with the kinetic diameters of the permeated gases. The intersegmental distance increased after TR and/or the addition of PPN-2. Permeability followed an exponential dependence with free volume and a quadratic function of the kinetic diameter of the gas.

Engineered Transport in Microporous Materials and Membranes for Clean Energy Technologies

Many forward-looking clean-energy technologies hinge on the development of scalable and efficient membrane-based separations. Ongoing investment in the basic research of microporous materials is beginning to pay dividends in membrane technology maturation. Specifically, improvements in membrane selectivity, permeability, and durability are being leveraged for more efficient carbon capture, desalination, and energy storage, and the market adoption of membranes in those areas appears to be on the horizon. Herein, an overview of the microporous materials chemistry driving advanced membrane development, the clean-energy separations employing them, and the theoretical underpinnings tying membrane performance to membrane structure across multiple length scales is provided. The interplay of pore architecture and chemistry for a given set of analytes emerges as a critical design consideration dictating mass transport outcomes. Opportunities and outstanding challenges in the field are also discussed, including high-flux 2D molecular-sieving membranes, phase-change adsorbents as performance-enhancing components in composite membranes, and the need for quantitative metrologies for understanding mass transport in heterophasic materials and in micropores with unusual chemical interactions with analytes of interest.

Claisen thermally rearranged (CTR) polymers

Thermally rearranged (TR) polymers, which are considered the next-generation of membrane materials because of their excellent transport properties and high thermal and chemical stability, are proven to have significant drawbacks because of the high temperature required for the rearrangement and low degree of conversion during this process. We demonstrate that using a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement, the temperature required for the rearrangement of a solid glassy polymer was reduced by 200°C. Conversions of functionalized polyimide to polybenzoxazole of more than 97% were achieved. These highly mechanically stable polymers were almost five times more permeable and had more than two times higher degrees of conversion than the reference polymer treated under the same conditions. Properties of these second-generation TR polymers provide the possibility of preparing efficient polymer membranes in a form of, for example, thin-film composite membranes for various gas and liquid membrane separation applications.

Thermally rearranged (TR) bismaleimide-based network polymers for gas separation membranes

Highly permeable thermally rearranged polymer membranes based on bismaleimide derivatives are reported for the first time. The membranes form semi-interpenetrating networks with other polymers endowing them with superior gas transport properties.