Highly selective multilayer polymer thin films for CO2/N2 separation |
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| Authors: | Yixuan Song Elva L. Lugo Stuart Powell Ping Tzeng Benjamin A. Wilhite Jaime C. Grunlan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas;2. Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas;3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX;4. Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX |
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| Abstract: | Multilayer thin films of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), deposited via layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly from aqueous solutions, are investigated for CO2/N2 separation. Eight and ten bilayer (217 and 389 nm thick, respectively) PEO/PMAA thin films deposited on a 25 μm polystyrene substrate exhibit CO2/N2 selectivities of 142 and 136, respectively. These are the highest reported to‐date for this gas pair separation using a homogeneous polymer film. While further work remains to improve CO2 permeability, these results indicate the potential of LbL assemblies as standalone CO2 separation membranes for low‐flux/high‐purity applications, or as part of a composite and/or mixed‐matrix membrane for high‐flux applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1730–1737 |
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| Keywords: | CO2/N2 selectivity gas separation layer‐by‐layer assembly nanocoating polyelectrolyte |
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