Enhanced O(2)/N(2) Separation of Mixed-Matrix Membrane Filled with Pluronic-Compatibilized Cobalt Phthalocyanine Particles

Membrane-based air separation (O(2)/N(2)) is of great importance owing to its energy efficiency as compared to conventional processes. Currently, dense polymeric membranes serve as the main pillar of industrial processes used for the generation of O(2)- and N(2)-enriched gas. However, conventional polymeric membranes often fail to meet the selectivity needs owing to the similarity in the effective diameters of O(2) and N(2) gases. Meanwhile, mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) are convenient to produce high-performance membranes while keeping the advantages of polymeric materials. Here, we propose a novel MMM for O(2)/N(2) separation, which is composed of Matrimid(®) 5218 (Matrimid) as the matrix, cobalt(II) phthalocyanine microparticles (CoPCMPs) as the filler, and Pluronic(®) F-127 (Pluronic) as the compatibilizer. By the incorporation of CoPCMPs to Matrimid, without Pluronic, interfacial defects were formed. Pluronic-treated CoPCMPs, on the other hand, enhanced O(2) permeability and O(2)/N(2) selectivity by 64% and 34%, respectively. We explain the enhancement achieved with the increase of both O(2) diffusivity and O(2)/N(2) solubility selectivity.