Microporous polymeric membranes inspired by adsorbent for gas separation

Abstract

Material research related to membrane has become a trending topic for gas purification with a strong focus on delivering better separation performance. This review conveys that this criterion alone is inadequate when holistically evaluating new materials for gas separation, so a broader set of criteria is needed. Consideration of additional criteria will focus material research on new formulations with a higher likelihood of commercialization. Through a comprehensive evaluation of most emerging organic materials against those criteria, we demonstrate that, the use of organic microporous materials that mimic the gas sieving functionality of adsorbent materials presents an ultimate solution for membrane gas separation. By plotting gas permeation performances by these emerging polymer materials against their structural properties, we reveal that, polymeric membranes exhibit a strong correlation between gas permeability and BET surface area. This implies a significant role for BET surface area in mass transfer. By identifying the architectural design pathway for these polymer materials to meet proposed criteria, this review provides guidance for polymer research into membrane gas separation technology, as well as other applications such as energy storage and heterogeneous catalysis.