Enhanced gas transport properties of mixed matrix membranes consisting of Matrimid and RHO type ZIF-12 particles

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) have been showed as potential active inorganic fillers in high-performance gas separation membranes. Among them, zeolitic imidazolate framework-12 crystals were synthesized as a porous filler material by alcohol-based solution method using benzimidazole-toluene interactions and they were incorporated into a commercial glassy polyimide Matrimid 5218 with various ZIF-12 loadings (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 wt.%), as the continuous phase. As-synthesized ZIF-12 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), multipoint Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). SEM images of ZIF-12 particles assert regular external surfaces with a rhombic dodecahedron structure. Matrimid mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) loaded with different amounts of ZIF-12 were prepared by solution casting method and characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TGA and SEM analyses. Our findings showed that there was a good dispersion and wetting of ZIF-12 particles in the continuous phase. Gas transport properties of the membranes were investigated by single gas permeation experiments of H2, CO2 and CH4 at 4 bar feed pressure and 35 °C. The permeability values increased as the ZIF-12 loading increased up to 20 wt.%. However, at higher loadings, 30 and 40 wt.%, the permeability decreased for all gases and the CO2/CH4 and H2/CH4 selectivities increased depending on the influence of the ZIF-12 filler. The maximum ideal separation factor for CO2/CH4 and H2/CH4 were found about 66.70 and 212.00, significantly higher than the pure polymer ideal separation factor.