Study of Separation Behavior of Activated and Non-Activated MOF-5 as Filler on MOF-based Mixed-Matrix Membranes in H2/CO2 Separation

In this study, cubic and tetragonal structures of MOF-5 (C-MOF-5 and T-MOF-5) were successfully synthesized, characterized and incorporated into cellulose acetate (CA) polymer matrix in the range of 6, 9 and 12 wt % to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). The effects of smaller pore size of T-MOF-5 and more ZnO molecules in T-MOF-5, on the H-2 and CO2 permeation properties of C-MOF-5/CA and T-MOF-5/CA MMMs were investigated. The all novel MMMs were prepared using the solution casting method and characterized by FTIR, TGA and SEM. SEM images as well as results of FTIR and TGA analyses confirmed good adhesion between both MOF-5s and CA matrix. Addition of both C-MOF-5 and T-MOF-5 into the CA improved the gas transport properties of the CA, especially in H2 separation. The H-2/CO2 selectivity continued the increasing trend at 9 wt % and did not significantly reduce even at 12 wt % due to good adhesion between both MOF-5s and CA. The highest H-2/CO2 selectivity was obtained at 12 and 9 wt % loading of C-MOF-5 and T-MOF-5, respectively. By changing the filler from C-MOF-5 to T-MOF-5, the increasing and reducing of adsorption site of H-2 and CO2 (respectively), and also reducing in pore size, caused the appearance of H-2 permeability to not change much but the CO2 permeability to reduce. Accordingly, the H-2/CO2 selectivity in all T-MOF-5/CA MMMs is higher than that in all C-MOF-5/CA MMMs. According to obtained results, the activated MOFs (i.e., C-MOF-5 in this study) are not always the best choices for separation process.