CNT/PDMS composite membranes for H2 and CH4 gas separation

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites with different weight amounts of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were synthesised as membranes to evaluate their gas separation properties. The selectivity of the membranes was investigated for the separation of H-2 from CH4 gas species. Membranes with MWCNT concentrations of 1% increased the selectivity to H-2 gas by 94.8%. Furthermore, CH4 permeation was almost totally blocked through membranes with MWCNT concentrations greater than 5%. Vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques revealed that upon the incorporation of MWCNT a decrease in the number of available Si-CH3 and Si-O bonds as well as an increase in the formation of Si C bonds occurred that initiated the reduction in CH4 permeation. As a result, the developed membranes can be an efficient and low cost solution for separating H-2 from larger gas molecules such as CH4. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.