Guo, Chengzhi;
Li, Xinyu;
Wu, Yukun;
Yang, Pengfei;
Yang, Yuanxi;
Huo, Suguo;
Wen, Ping;
... Lan, Yang; + view all
(2025)
Encapsulation of hollow polystyrene particles in PDMS membranes for efficient natural gas purification.
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
, 13
(3)
, Article 116853. 10.1016/j.jece.2025.116853.
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Huo_JECE-D-25-02422_R3.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 3 May 2026. Download (2MB) |
Abstract
Compared with pure polymeric and inorganic membranes, fillers incorporated hybrid membranes, also known as mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), offer enhanced gas separation capabilities by synergizing the advantageous properties of both matrices and filler materials. In this study, we report the development of a fully organic MMM system composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and monodisperse hollow polystyrene (HPS) particles, designed for efficient CO2/CH4 separation. The HPS particles were synthesized via template polymerization, followed by selective template removal to yield uniform, cross-linked spheres with an average diameter of 354 nm. In the pure gas permeation test, compared with neat PDMS membrane, the PDMS/HPS MMM containing 4 wt% HPS particles demonstrated a 259 % increase in CO2 permeability and a 37 % improvement in the ideal CO2/CH4 selectivity. For the CO2/CH4 mixture separation performance test, the MMM demonstrated up to 3.4 times higher CO2 permeability than neat PDMS membranes, with a slight increase in selectivity. The improved performance of gas separation can be attributed to the distinctive hollow structure of the HPS particles, which contributes additional free volume to the membranes, along with the beneficial interface observed between PDMS and HPS particles. These performance enhancements, combined with the use of low-cost, easy solvent-free membrane fabrication and fully organic materials, demonstrate the potential of this approach for industrial gas separation applications such as natural gas purification.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Encapsulation of hollow polystyrene particles in PDMS membranes for efficient natural gas purification |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jece.2025.116853 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.116853 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Mixed Matrix Membrane, Hollow particle, CO2 separation, Natural gas purification, Free volume |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > London Centre for Nanotechnology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10209135 |
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