Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are attractive materials for membrane separation because of their high surface area, tunable porosity, and diverse chemical functionality. MOFs are not as flexible as soft materials (e.g., organic polymers) due to their crystalline nature, which limits their practical utility in separation membranes for processes such as gas separation or water purification. Integration of MOFs into engineered hybrid structures, such as mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), is proving to be an exciting route toward improving the processability and handling of MOFs by embedding these microcrystalline powders in a polymeric matrix. In order to take advantage of the ability of MOFs to act as separation membranes, it may be advantageous to prepare MMMs with high MOF loadings. However, because of the poor adhesion between the MOF and the polymer components, high MOF loadings in MMMs often produce defects in the membrane that detract from the separation performance. We describe the improvement of the adhesion between the MOF and polymer components toward integration of flexible, high MOF loading MMMs and the elucidation of the separation mechanism of UiO-66 based MMMs.

Investigating UiO-66 based mixed matrix membranes for membrane separations

256th National Meeting (2018)

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