Impact of humidity on gas transport in polybenzimidazole membranes

Moon, Joshua D.; Borjigin, Hailun; Liu, Ran; Joseph, Ronald M.; Riffle, Judy S.; Freeman, Benny D.; Paul, Donald R.

doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119758

Impact of humidity on gas transport in polybenzimidazole membranes

Journal Article · Wed Aug 18 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Membrane Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119758· OSTI ID:1977435

Moon, Joshua D. ^[1]; Borjigin, Hailun ^[2]; Liu, Ran ^[2]; Joseph, Ronald M. ^[2]; Riffle, Judy S. ^[2]; Freeman, Benny D. ^[3]; Paul, Donald R. ^[3]

Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); OSTI
Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

Polybenzimidazoles (PBIs) are promising materials for high temperature H₂/CO₂ separation in applications such as steam reforming and pre-combustion carbon capture where significant amounts of water are often present. However, PBIs are hydrophilic, and the impact of humidity on PBI gas separation properties is relatively unexplored. Furthermore, opportunity exists to elucidate the interplay between plasticization, free volume, and gas transport in glassy polymer membranes such as PBIs. Here, this study investigates the effect of humidity on H₂, O₂, and CO₂ permeabilities at 35 °C in a commercial PBI and two sulfone-containing PBIs. Water uptake significantly reduces PBI gas permeabilities at low humidities due to competitive sorption and antiplasticization. At high humidities, plasticization increases the permeabilities of larger gases in more hydrophilic PBIs. Effective fractional free volumes evaluated from gas permeation data and previously reported water sorption and dilation data suggest water plasticizes PBIs by increasing accessible free volume via enhanced molecular dynamics rather than by creating new free volume cavities.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-02ER15362

OSTI ID:: 1977435

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1814546

Journal Information:: Journal of Membrane Science, Journal Name: Journal of Membrane Science Vol. 639; ISSN 0376-7388

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Free volume
Gas separation
Humidity
Plasticization
Polybenzimidazole

Impact of humidity on gas transport in polybenzimidazole membranes

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