PEBAX-1657/Ag nanoparticles/7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane complex for highly permeable composite membranes with long-term stability

Poly (ether-block-amide) resin-1657 (PEBAX-1657)/silver nanoparticle (AgNPs)/7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) composite membranes were prepared for olefin/paraffin separation. The long-term performance of composite membranes can be improved by preventing the reduction of silver ions by adding Al(NO(3))(3) and PEBAX-1657, which has 40% amide groups and 60% ether groups, to the polymer matrix for high permeance. In this study, silver ions were reduced to form nanoparticles to which 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ, electron acceptor) was added to produce long-term olefin carriers. The surface of the AgNPs were modified using electron TCNQ to induce positive charges. The polarized surface of the AgNPs in the PEBAX-1657 permeable polymer matrix interacted with olefins. The membrane was expected to show exceptional separation performance. The results showed that the PEBAX-1657/AgNPs/TCNQ composite membrane exhibited a selectivity of 12.7 and a mixed-gas permeance of 10.2 GPU for durations longer than 76 h. The surface-activated AgNPs were characterized using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.