Enhancing CO2/CH4 separation performance and mechanical strength of mixed-matrix membrane via combined use of graphene oxide and ZIF-8

High-performance mixed-matrix membranes that comprise both zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) and graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized with a solution casting technique to realize excellent CO2/CH4 separation. The incorporation of ZIF-8 nanocrystals alone in ODPA-TMPDA polyimide can be used to significantly enhance CO2 permeability compared with that of pure ODPA-TMPDA. Meanwhile, the addition of a GO nanostack alone in ODPA-TMPDA contributes to improved CO2/CH4 selectivity. Hence, a composite membrane that contains both fillers displays significant enhancements in CO2 permeability (up to 60%) and CO2/CH4 selectivity (up to 28%) compared with those of pure polymeric membrane. Furthermore, in contrast to the ZIF-8 mixed-matrix membrane, which showed decreased mechanical stability, it was found that the incorporation of GO could improve the mechanical strength of mixed matrix membranes. Overall, the synergistic effects of the use of both fillers together are successfully demonstrated in this paper. Such significant improvements in the mixed-matrix membrane's CO2/CH4 separation performance and mechanical strength suggest a feasible and effective approach for potential biogas upgrading and natural gas purification. (C) 2018 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.