Metal organic framework mixed matrix membranes for gas separations

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for gas separations are traditionally comprised of zeolites dispersed in a polymer matrix in order to improve desired penetrant permeability and selectivity. Zeolites have a variety of drawbacks for this application - chiefly, a limited number of possible zeolite structures - that limit their potential for use in MMMs. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), a relatively new class of microporous materials, are not well studied for use in MMMs. MOFs are an attractive alternative to the use of zeolites in MMMs because the number of possible structures is effectively infinite. In this work, a MOF of copper and terephthalic acid (CuTPA) was synthesized, characterized, and used to make MMMs. The gas transport properties of these CuTPA MMMs showed improvements over the pure polymer gas transport properties. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.