Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent
Nanodiamonds (ND) have recently emerged as excellent candidates for various applications including membrane technology due to their nanoscale size, non-toxic nature, excellent mechanical and thermal properties, high surface areas and tuneable surface structures with functional groups. However, their...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/5/328 |
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| author | Manh-Tuan Vu Gloria M. Monsalve-Bravo Rijia Lin Mengran Li Suresh K. Bhatia Simon Smart |
| author_facet | Manh-Tuan Vu Gloria M. Monsalve-Bravo Rijia Lin Mengran Li Suresh K. Bhatia Simon Smart |
| author_sort | Manh-Tuan Vu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nanodiamonds (ND) have recently emerged as excellent candidates for various applications including membrane technology due to their nanoscale size, non-toxic nature, excellent mechanical and thermal properties, high surface areas and tuneable surface structures with functional groups. However, their non-porous structure and strong tendency to aggregate are hindering their potential in gas separation membrane applications. To overcome those issues, this study proposes an efficient approach by decorating the ND surface with polyethyleneimine (PEI) before embedding it into the polymer matrix to fabricate MMMs for CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> separation. Acting as both interfacial binder and gas carrier agent, the PEI layer enhances the polymer/filler interfacial interaction, minimising the agglomeration of ND in the polymer matrix, which is evidenced by the focus ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). The incorporation of PEI into the membrane matrix effectively improves the CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> selectivity compared to the pristine polymer membranes. The improvement in CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> selectivity is also modelled by calculating the interfacial permeabilities with the Felske model using the gas permeabilities in the MMM. This study proposes a simple and effective modification method to address both the interface and gas selectivity in the application of nanoscale and non-porous fillers in gas separation membranes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:50:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0e863b37db941a7a9851cea1dacee48 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:50:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0e863b37db941a7a9851cea1dacee482023-11-21T17:47:50ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752021-04-0111532810.3390/membranes11050328Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface AgentManh-Tuan Vu0Gloria M. Monsalve-Bravo1Rijia Lin2Mengran Li3Suresh K. Bhatia4Simon Smart5School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaNanodiamonds (ND) have recently emerged as excellent candidates for various applications including membrane technology due to their nanoscale size, non-toxic nature, excellent mechanical and thermal properties, high surface areas and tuneable surface structures with functional groups. However, their non-porous structure and strong tendency to aggregate are hindering their potential in gas separation membrane applications. To overcome those issues, this study proposes an efficient approach by decorating the ND surface with polyethyleneimine (PEI) before embedding it into the polymer matrix to fabricate MMMs for CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> separation. Acting as both interfacial binder and gas carrier agent, the PEI layer enhances the polymer/filler interfacial interaction, minimising the agglomeration of ND in the polymer matrix, which is evidenced by the focus ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). The incorporation of PEI into the membrane matrix effectively improves the CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> selectivity compared to the pristine polymer membranes. The improvement in CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> selectivity is also modelled by calculating the interfacial permeabilities with the Felske model using the gas permeabilities in the MMM. This study proposes a simple and effective modification method to address both the interface and gas selectivity in the application of nanoscale and non-porous fillers in gas separation membranes.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/5/328nanodiamondmixed matrix membranefiller dispersionFelske modelgas separation |
| spellingShingle | Manh-Tuan Vu Gloria M. Monsalve-Bravo Rijia Lin Mengran Li Suresh K. Bhatia Simon Smart Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent Membranes nanodiamond mixed matrix membrane filler dispersion Felske model gas separation |
| title | Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent |
| title_full | Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent |
| title_fullStr | Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent |
| title_short | Mitigating the Agglomeration of Nanofiller in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating an Interface Agent |
| title_sort | mitigating the agglomeration of nanofiller in a mixed matrix membrane by incorporating an interface agent |
| topic | nanodiamond mixed matrix membrane filler dispersion Felske model gas separation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/5/328 |
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