Abstract
Magnetophoretic dispersion of magnetic fillers has been proven to improve gas separation performances of mixed matrix membrane (MMM). However, the magnetic field induced is usually in a horizontal or vertical direction during membrane casting. Limited study has been conducted on the effects of rotational magnetic field direction towards dispersion of particles. Thus, this work focuses on the rearrangement of paramagnetic iron oxide-titanium dioxide (αFe2O3-TiO2) nanocomposite in poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPOdm) membrane via rotational magnetic field to investigate the dispersion of filler and effects towards its overall gas separation performance. The paramagnetic fillers were incorporated into polymer via dry phase inversion method at different weight loading. MMM with 3 wt% loading shows the best performance in terms of particle dispersion and gas separation performance. It shows the greatest relative particles count and least agglomerates via OLYMPUS™ Stream software with image taken by optical microscope. Relative to pristine membrane, it displays a permeability and selectivity increment of 312% and 71%. MMM with 3 wt% loading was refabricated in the presence of rotational magnetic field to enhance the dispersion of paramagnetic fillers. Results display an increment of selectivity by 8% and CO2 permeability by 46% relative to unmagnetised MMM of 3 wt% loading.
Highlights
Amidst the ever-increasing human population, the energy consumption has surge to almost twice the median rate for growth in 2010
The morphology of the mixed matrix membranes was thoroughly analysed through SEM imaging on their top side and cross-sectional area with a magnification of 2000
4 Conclusion αFe2O3-TiO2/PPOdm matrix membrane (MMM) has been fabricated via dry phase inversion at three different weight loadings and the MMM with optimal loading based on best gas separation performance was refabricated in the presence of a rotational magnetic field
Summary
Amidst the ever-increasing human population, the energy consumption has surge to almost twice the median rate for growth in 2010. One effective CO2/CH4 gas separation method is via mixed matrix membrane (MMM), a combination of homogenously interpenetrating polymeric matrices to ease processability with inorganic particles to produce a membrane that is high in both selectivity and permeability. The drawbacks with high surface energy are poor dispersion leading to agglomeration of fillers. These agglomerations form non-selective interfacial voids resulting in higher permeability of gases but lower selectivity. This may be contributed by strong van der Waal forces, high surface energy or hydrogen bonds [1]. As for functionalization and hybrid fillers, various combinations and studies have been conducted to investigate their effects into finding the right match for gas separation performance improvement fillers [4, 5]
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