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Title: Unprecedented size-sieving ability in polybenzimidazole doped with polyprotic acids for membrane H2/CO2 separation

Journal Article · · Energy & Environmental Science
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ee02865b· OSTI ID:1659662

Polymers with efficient and tight chain-packing and thus strong size-sieving ability are of great interest for H2/CO2 separation. In this communication, we demonstrate a new approach to manipulating polymer structure by acid doping, leading to superior H2/CO2 separation performance. We have doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) with polyprotic acids, specifically H3PO4 and H2SO4. These acids cross-link PBI chains and drastically decrease free volume, improving the material's H2/CO2 selectivity to far surpass the Robeson's 2008 upper bound for membrane performance. For example, PBI doped with H3PO4 at a molar ratio of 1 : 1 exhibits an unprecedented H2/CO2 selectivity of 140 at 150 °C, which exceeds that of previously known polymeric materials and is superior or comparable to that of state-of-the-art 2D materials with sharp size separation, such as graphene oxide, MoS2, and metal–organic frameworks. This facile approach to enhancing polymer chain-packing efficiency opens up a new avenue for designing strong size-sieving polymers for membrane gas separations.

Research Organization:
Univ. at Buffalo, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
FE0026463
OSTI ID:
1659662
Journal Information:
Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 11, Issue 1; ISSN 1754-5692
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 77 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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