Double-Layered Pebax(®) 3533/ZIF-8 Membranes with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Buckypapers as Support for Gas Separation

Single-walled carbon nanotube buckypapers (SWCNT-bps) coated with a metal–organic framework ZIF-8 layer were used as supports for the preparation of Pebax(®) 3533 TFC membranes by both phase inversion and spin coating techniques. Upon proper characterization of the materials by X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and electron microscopy, the obtained membranes were tested in gas separation experiments with a 15:85 CO(2)/N(2) mixture. These experiments proved that the ZIF-8 layer prevented from the penetration of the polymer selective film into the SWCNT-bp support, giving rise to a highly permeable selective membrane. The optimum membrane was achieved by the spin-coating method, with better permeation results than that prepared by the phase inversion method, obtaining a CO(2) permeance of 566 GPU together with a CO(2)/N(2) selectivity of 20.9.