Preparation and characterization of PPO/ZIF-8 mixed matrix membranes for propylene/propane separations

In this study morphology of mixed matrix membranes prepared from two propylene/propane selective materials,i.e. poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) polymer and zeolitic imidazolite framework (ZIF-8) molecular sieve nanoparticles were investigated for propylene/propane gas separation applications. ZIF-8 nanoparticles were synthesized in an organic solvent and evaluated by FTIR, XRD, BET, and FESEM analysis.Results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles were pure-phase ZIF-8 material with nanosized crystals. Mixed matrix dense membranes were prepared from PPO and synthesized ZIF-8 nanoparticles and themorphology of the resulting membranes was evaluated by SEM analysis. SEM results showed very goodadhesion between PPO and ZIF-8 with no sieve-in-a-cage morphology without applying any surface treatment on the ZIF-8 nanoparticles

Keywords:

Propylene/propane separation , Mixed matrix membrane , ZIF-8 , Morphology , Gas separation