Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/KF electrolyte membranes for facilitated CO2 transport

In this study, we show for the first time that potassium fluoride (KF) can be utilized as a carrier for facilitated CO2 transport. A polymer electrolyte membrane was prepared by incorporating KF through coordinate covalent bonding with the amide groups of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). The resulting PVP/KF electrolyte membrane showed enhanced CO2 separation performance compared with neat PVP. The selectivity ratio CO2/N-2 increased to 4.1 with a CO2 permeance of 28 GPU. This enhanced separation performance was attributable to the reversible interaction of KF with CO2 molecules, resulting in the increase of CO2 transport. The interaction between KF and the amide groups of PVP was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The coordination of potassium ions with the amide groups caused the free ions in KF to be increased, resulting in the favorable interaction with CO2 molecules.