Flexible carbon hollow fiber membranes derived from sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide)

In this study, flexible carbon hollow fiber membranes derived from sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO) as a carbon precursor were developed. We observed that a lower pyrolysis temperature (450–600 °C) gives more flexible carbon membranes with smaller bending radii, whereas pyrolytic membrane at 700 °C becomes less flexible and rather brittle due to a sintering of the carbon matrix. It was found that the thinness of the hollow fiber provides a desired flexibility to the carbon membranes. The carbon hollow fiber membrane pyrolyzed at 600 °C showed not only better mechanical stability but also excellent performance for gas separation such as O2/N2 and CO2/CH4.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights▶ The development of flexible carbon hollow fiber membranes was successfully achieved using the sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO) as a precursor polymer. ▶ A lower pyrolysis temperature (450–600 °C) gives more flexible carbon membranes with smaller bending radii, whereas pyrolytic membrane at 700 °C becomes less flexible and rather brittle due to a sintering of the carbon matrix. ▶ The carbon hollow fiber membrane pyrolyzed at 600 °C showed not only better mechanical stability but also excellent performance for gas separation such as O2/N2 and CO2/CH4.