Effects of an Alternating Magnetic Field towards Dispersion of α-Fe(2)O(3)/TiO(2) Magnetic Filler in PPO(dm) Polymer for CO(2)/CH(4) Gas Separation

Magnetic-field-induced dispersion of magnetic fillers has been proven to improve the gas separation performance of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). However, the magnetic field induced is usually in a horizontal or vertical direction. Limited study has been conducted on the effects of alternating magnetic field (AMF) direction towards the dispersion of particles. Thus, this work focuses on the incorporation and dispersion of ferromagnetic iron oxide–titanium (IV) dioxide (αFe(2)O(3)/TiO(2)) particles in a poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) oxide (PPO(dm)) membrane via an AMF to investigate its effect on the magnetic filler dispersion and correlation towards gas separation performance. The fillers were incorporated into PPO(dm) polymer via a spin-coating method at a 1, 3, and 5 wt% filler loading. The MMM with the 3 wt% loading showed the best performance in terms of particle dispersion and gas separation performance. The three MMMs were refabricated in an alternating magnetic field, and the MMM with the 3 wt% loading presented the best performance. The results display an increment in selectivity by 100% and a decrement in CO(2) permeability by 97% to an unmagnetized MMM for the 3 wt% loading. The degree of filler dispersion was quantified and measured using Area Disorder of Delaunay Triangulation mapped onto the filler on binarized MMM images. The results indicate that the magnetized MMM presents a greater degree of dispersion than the unmagnetized MMM.