Separation Of N2 Research Articles

Valorization of agricultural waste as a carbon materials for selective separation and storage of CO2, H2 and N2

Several biochars and activated carbons are prepared from cellulose fraction of some agricultural wastes (linen, cotton and wheat). The obtained carbons are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), CO2 adsorption-desorption at 0 °C, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The biochars are synthesized at different pyrolysis temperatures while activated carbons are obtained from a biochar (pyrolysis at 500 °C) using KOH as activation agent in different amounts. The adsorption values in the biochars increase proportionally to the temperature levels (about 2.5 mmol CO2 g−1 at 25 °C and 760 mm of Hg). The highest the temperature of pyrolytic treatment, the highest the adsorption values. These values remain stable for several cycles in the case of samples synthesized at the highest temperature. The chemical activation of the biochar with KOH improves its microporosity as well as its CO2 adsorption capacity (3.6 mmol CO2 g−1 at 25 °C and 760 mm of Hg). Moreover, these biochars and activated carbons are evaluated for the adsorption of N2 or H2. The N2 and H2 adsorption capacity is much lower than that of CO2. Consequently, these biochars and activated carbons are highly selective for the CO2 capture. They have also shown a high H2 adsorption at −196 °C which makes them having a high potential in H2 storage at low temperature levels.

Insights into the interaction between NO and char(N) containing different functional forms: Mechanistic, thermodynamic and kinetic studies

Char-bound nitrogen [char(N)] is confirmed to be the real intermediate in heterogeneous reduction during coal combustion. Aiming to have a deep insight into the interaction mechanism between NO and char(N) containing different functional forms of nitrogen, a comprehensive theoretical exploration with density functional theory at M06–2X/6–31G(d,p)//def-TZVP level is performed. The detailed electronic descriptions of char(N) surface based on spin density, Mulliken atomic charge and electrostatic potential exhibit the attack sites and electron donating capability during NO chemisorption in the following order: char(N-5) < char(N-X) < char(N-6). Oxygen surface complex, an intermediate for N2O formation and a catalyst for NO reduction, can weaken the connected CN bond and promote N2 separation. The migration of oxygen atoms to adjacent active sites is thermodynamically conducive to reduction reactions, leading to the preferred pathway of N2 release on char(N-5) and char(N-X) surfaces. Contiguous active sites remaining along char edge are unfavorable for N2O detaching, while beneficial to NO further chemisorption for consecutive reactions, resulting in the great contributions of char(N-5) in reducing NO. The lower energy barriers for NO reduction follow the sequence coincident with the results of electronic property analysis. The kinetically favorable temperatures and activation energies of different char(N) for reducing NO are determined, which is consistent with previous experiments. The theoretical results provide evidences to explain microscopic mechanism of NO-char(N) interaction, making contributions to effectively minimize NOx emissions in the future.

Density Functional Theory Study on the Effect of Isomorphic Substitution of FAU Molecular Sieve on N2 Adsorption Performance

Low pressure and anoxia are the main characteristics of the environment in the Tibetan Plateau, which means people living there have a large demand for oxygen to reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a competitive oxygen production technology in plateau areas, which relies on the molecular sieves for the separation of N2 and O2 in industry and portable medical equipment. The adsorption characteristics of the Faujasite-type (FAU) molecular sieves, as one kind of the most widely used adsorbents for O2 production, depend on the properties, amount, and distribution of the skeleton cations and atoms. In this paper, we explore the isomorphic substitution effect on the adsorption properties of N2 in FAU molecular sieves using the computational approaches based on the density functional theory (DFT). The structural analysis and adsorption energy calculated for the Zn, Ca, and Ga substitutions at the Si/Al skeleton sites in the β-cage structure, the basic unit of FAU molecular sieves, prove that the isomorphic substitution effect can strengthen the adsorption of N2. The Bader charge and density of states analysis validate the formation of electron-deficient holes near the Fermi level and hence strengthen the local polarity of the pore structure and enhance the adsorption of N2 molecules. The work about isomorphic substitution on the FAU molecular sieves might provide an insight into heteroatom isomorphic modification mechanisms and designing excellent air separation materials.

Molecular dynamics simulation of diffusion and separation of CO2/CH4/N2 on MER zeolites

The adsorption behaviors of CO2, CH4 and N2 on MER zeolites were investigated by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation method. The calculated pure gas uptake agreed well with the experimental data, which proved that the current simulation model and COMPASS force field are reliable. On this basis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out for diffusion and separation of CO2, CH4 and N2 on K-MER zeolites, with the silicon MER zeolite as the reference. The results show that mean squared displacement (MSD) versus simulation time is sublinear. In MER zeolites, the configuration diffusion regime is dominant resulted from the tight fit of the gas molecules and the zeolite pore size. The diffusion of CO2, CH4 and N2 in MER zeolites with three-dimensional cage structures is anisotropic. The gas molecules diffuse preferentially along with the direction of x axis in K-MER zeolites. Extra-framework cations in zeolite plays important influence on the gas diffusion. In K-MER zeolites, the self-diffusion coefficients of CO2 and N2 are negative correlated with loading, whereas for the self-diffusion coefficient of CH4, it firstly increases and then decreases with the increase of loading. All of the self-diffusion coefficients of CO2, CH4 and N2 increase with the elevation of temperature. The order of diffusion activation energy is N2 (16.51 kJ/mol)>CH4 (8.39 kJ/mol)>CO2 (4.38 kJ/mol). K-MER zeolite membrane has good separation selectivity for gas mixture system of CO2/CH4, CO2/N2 and N2/CH4.The permeance of CO2 and N2 through K-MER zeolite membrane is as high as 104 GPU (1 GPU=3.35×10−10 mol/(s·m2·Pa)).

Transforming 3D CAU-10-H into 2D Materials with High Base Stability for Membrane Separation.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have received a significant research attention owing to their unique chemical and physical properties. These materials not only provide the chemically active sites and exposed surface atoms, but also display the porous nature suitable for their use as membranes for gas separation. In this study, 3D CAU-10-H has been transformed into a novel alkali stabilized 2D CACl-10 (180). Though CACl-10 (180) is similar to AlOOH, it is a novel 2D nanomaterial synthesized by using 4-chloroisophthalic acid and aluminum nitrate nonahydrate, with thermal decomposition at 300 °C. Further, CACl-10 (180) is noted to retain its framework structure in strong alkali solutions, attributed to the alkali-resistant aluminum hydroxide. At the same time, it has been demonstrated that 3D CAU-10-H can also transform into 3D CACl-10 (140) and 3D CACl-10 (130), and the halogen atoms of the ligands (-Cl) affect the alkali stability of the materials. Subsequently, the PVAm-CACl-10 (180)/MPSf mixed matrix membranes were prepared and applied for CH4 /N2 separation. The developed membrane exhibits the CH4 permeance of 1647.99 GPU with a CH4 /N2 selectivity of 3.1. As a result, 2D CACl-10 (180), with a strong alkali stability and an acceptable CH4 /N2 membrane separation performance, represents a high potential of application in the membrane separation process.

Tracing the influence of extra‐framework cations on N2 and O2 adsorption characteristics under plateau environment by GCMC simulations

AbstractPressure swing adsorption (PSA) coupling with molecular sieves, especially the Li low silica X (Li‐LSX) zeolite, adsorption technology is widely used in O2 generator instrument under plateau environment. However, the studies of N2 and O2 adsorption and separation properties on zeolite under plateau environment are still obscure to date. In this work, the influence of N2 and O2 adsorptions on the LSX zeolites in harsh plateau environment (3000 ‐ 5000 m) was investigated by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations. Three kinds of LSX zeolites including Li‐LSX, Ag‐LSX and LiCa‐LSX were taken into consideration. The simulation results indicate that the adsorption amount and affinity of both N2 and O2 elevate with the increasing altitude and following the order of Ag‐LSX &gt; Li‐LSX &gt; LiCa‐LSX. The N2 adsorption was dominated over all three LSX zeolites, leaving O2 much easier to permeate through the LSX zeolites. The isosteric adsorption heat and adsorption density results further proved that N2 and O2 have extremely different adsorption strategies. Moreover, the selectivity and separation coefficients based on ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST) were calculated from GCMC simulations, and the results indicate Ag‐LSX has the highest diffusion selectivity and the steadiest diffusion coefficient among the three LSX zeolites. These findings may contribute to the N2/O2 separation molecular sieves for plateau applications by tailoring the LSX zeolite with different extra‐framework cations.

Impact of adsorbent carbons and carbon surface conductivity on adsorption capacity of CO2, CH4, N2 and gas separation

We have explored the role of pore width, specific surface area, and surface conductivity of nanoporous carbons on their adsorption capacity of CO2, CH4, and N2. Graphene sheets with a pore width of 7.35 Å (522.65 m2/g) and activated carbon (2445.38 m2/g) have been generated using a user-written code and Hybrid Reverse Monte Carlo (HRMC) algorithm. We have numerically shown that the graphene sheets enhance the gas separation properties, i.e., gas separation of CO2 and CH4 from N2 in the binary and ternary mixtures. Impacts of pre-defined charges on C–H bonds in the activated carbon and carbon surface conductivity have also been investigated using the Charge Simulation Method (CSM) algorithm implementation in a user-written parallel GCMC code. Carbon surface conductivity does not change the adsorption capacity and energy and isosteric adsorption enthalpies are very close for both adsorbents. The isosteric heats of adsorption are also compared for the graphene sheets and activated carbons with experimental data in the literature.

Channeling carbon dioxide

Gas Separation The separation of gas molecules with physisorbents can be challenging because there is often a tradeoff between capacity and selectivity. Zhou et al. report a template-free hydrothermal synthesis of the one-dimensional channel zeolite mordenite, in which some silicon was replaced by iron. Rather than forming a powder that requires further shaping, this mechanically stable material self-assembled into monoliths. Iron atoms bound in tetrahedral zeolite sites narrowed the channels and enabled the size-exclusion separation of carbon dioxide (CO2) over nitrogen (N2) and methane. High CO2 uptake and highly efficient CO2–N2 separation was demonstrated for both dry and humid conditions. Science , aax5776, this issue p. [315][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aax5776

Separation of CH4, H2S, N2 and CO2 gases using four types of nanoporous graphene cluster model: a quantum chemical investigation

Nanoporous graphene is being regarded as a promising candidate for reliable gas separation and purification applications. In the present research, the permeation barrier, selectivity and all thermodynamic functions for passing of four different molecules including CH4, H2S, N2 and CO2 gases on four types of porous graphene which is doped by two, three and six nitrogen atoms using quantum mechanical modelling, based on the density functional theory, B97D, and cc-pVTZ basis set have been evaluated. We find that the permeation barrier of all studied gases especially carbon dioxide decreased by considering the functionalized porous graphene by two, three and six nitrogens-doped, respectively. The results of our study propose using a porous graphene sheet as highly efficient and highly selective membranes for gas separations.

High adsorption and separation performance of CO2 over N2 in azo-based (N=N) pillar[6]arene supramolecular organic frameworks* *Project supported by Shandong Province Higher Education Science and Technology Program, China (Grant No. J17KA016), State Key Laboratory of Bio- Fibers and Eco-Textiles (Grant No. K2019-12), and the Cultivation Fund of Henan Normal University, China (Grant No. 2020PL15).

Azo-based pillar[6]arene supramolecular organic frameworks are reported for CO2 and N2 adsorption and separation by density functional theory and grand canonical Monte–Carlo simulation. Azo-based pillar[6]arene provides suitable environment for CO2 adsorption and selectivity. The adsorption and selectivity results show that introducing azo groups can effectively improve CO2 adsorption and selectivity over N2, and both CO2 adsorption and CO2 selectivity over N2 follow the sequence pillar[6]arene_N4 > pillar[6]arene_N2 > pillar[6]arene. Pillar[6]arene_N4 exhibits CO2 adsorption capacity of ∼ 1.36 mmol/g, and superior selectivity of CO2 over N2 of ∼ 116.75 with equal molar fraction at 1 bar (1 bar = 105 Pa) and 298 K. Interaction analysis confirms that both the Coulomb and van der Waals interactions between CO2 with pillar[6]arene frameworks are greater than that of N2. The stronger affinity of CO2 with pillar[6]arene_N4 than other structures and the larger isosteric heat differences between CO2 and N2 rendered pillar[6]arene_N4 to present the high CO2 adsorption capacity and high CO2 selectivity over N2. Our results highlight the potential of azo-functionalization as an excellent means to improve pillar[6]arene for CO2 capture and separation.

An A- and B-Site Substitutional Study of SrFeO3-δ Perovskites for Solar Thermochemical Air Separation.

An A‑ and B‑site substitutional study of SrFeO3−δ perovskites (A’xA1−xB’yB1−yO3−δ, where A = Sr and B = Fe) was performed for a two‑step solar thermochemical air separation cycle. The cycle steps encompass (1) the thermal reduction of A’xSr1−xB’yFe1−yO3−δ driven by concentrated solar irradiation and (2) the oxidation of A’xSr1−xB’yFe1−yO3−δ in air to remove O2, leaving N2. The oxidized A’xSr1−xB’yFe1−yO3−δ is recycled back to the first step to complete the cycle, resulting in the separation of N2 from air and concentrated solar irradiation. A-site substitution fractions between 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 were examined for A’ = Ba, Ca, and La. B-site substitution fractions between 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.2 were examined for B’ = Cr, Cu, Co, and Mn. Samples were prepared with a modified Pechini method and characterized with X-ray diffractometry. The mass changes and deviations from stoichiometry were evaluated with thermogravimetry in three screenings with temperature- and O2 pressure-swings between 573 and 1473 K and 20% O2/Ar and 100% Ar at 1 bar, respectively. A’ = Ba or La and B’ = Co resulted in the most improved redox capacities amongst temperature- and O2 pressure-swing experiments.

Fundamentals and Recent Progress of Photocatalytic Nitrogen‐Fixation Reaction over Semiconductors

As a green energy carrier, a potential fuel and an essential chemical for the manufacturing of fertilizers, plastics, and explosives, ammonia (NH3) is currently produced by Haber−Bosch process. However, the process converting nitrogen (N2) into NH3 under strict conditions consumes substantial energy and releases enormous greenhouse gases. In the context of the global energy crisis and increasing greenhouse effect, it is urgent to explore mild, green, sustainable, and economic nitrogen‐fixation strategies. Very recently, photocatalytic nitrogen‐fixation reactions, including nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) and nitrogen oxidation reaction (NOR), have aroused widespread attention due to its environmental friendliness and cost‐effectiveness. To achieve high photocatalytic performance and selectivity, it is necessary to design photocatalyst and its photoreaction system reasonably to optimize the light absorption, charge separation, mass transport, adsorption, and activation of N2 as well as proton/electron transfer. This review gives an overview of fundamentals, performance evaluation, and recent progress of the photocatalytic nitrogen‐fixation reactions. The photocatalysts and their design strategies are classified, and several suggestions are given for the analysis of the existing photocatalytic nitrogen‐fixation systems. Finally, a short perspective on the existing challenges and future opportunities are outlined for providing insights into the development of high‐efficiency photocatalytic systems for artificial N2 fixation.

Broadening the Gas Separation Utility of Monolayer Nanoporous Graphene Membranes by an Ionic Liquid Gating.

Ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) monolayer atomic crystal materials offer great potential for extending the field of novel separation technology due to their infinitesimal thickness and mechanical strength. One difficult and ongoing challenge is to perforate the 2D monolayer material with subnanometer pores with atomic precision for sieving similarly sized molecules. Here, we demonstrate the exceptional separation performance of ionic liquid (IL)/graphene hybrid membranes for challenging separation of CO2 and N2. Notably, the ultrathin ILs afford dynamic tuning of the size and chemical affinity of nanopores while preserving the high permeance of the monolayer nanoporous graphene membranes. The hybrid membrane yields a high CO2 permeance of 4000 GPU and an outstanding CO2/N2 selectivity up to 32. This rational hybrid design provides a universal direction for broadening gas separation capability of atomically thin nanoporous membranes.

Plasticization Modeling in Cellulose Acetate/NaY Mixed Matrix Membranes

The plasticization of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) in the presence of solid particles differs from pure glassy polymeric membranes. This study aims to develop a mathematical model for gas permeability in the glassy polymer/nano-porous filler MMMs, considering the plasticization phenomenon in the presence of the solid particles. The diffusivity of each component is assumed to be a function of the plasticization in the presence of nano-porous fillers. The partial immobilization model with the insertion of filler contributions in gas solubility of MMMs is also applied to determine the fraction of sorbed mobile gases. In this case, the model parameters were determined by fitting the experimental data of cellulose acetate/sodium Y zeolite (CA/NaY) MMMs for CO2 /N2 separation. The results showed that the plasticization parameter (β) is reduced by increasing the zeolite content in the MMMs, both for CO2 and N2 gases. The MMM plasticization declined by a shift in the plasticization pressure towards larger values. Except for the MMM with 20 wt.% NaY content, CO2 - induced plasticization fugacities of all the MMMs were best modeled with a relative error of less than 8%. Moreover, an acceptable mean relative error of 7.57% was obtained for all the MMMs containing 0-20 wt. % NaY. Statistical analysis with calculating the Pearson correlation’s parameters showed a direct and strong relationship between the two coefficients C′HA and b. Furthermore, it revealed a close relationship between all other coefficients, while no relationships were observed between D0 and β, and also, F and D0 for both the CO2 and N2 gases, maybe because of the small sizes of these coefficients. The zeolite particles play a role of anti-plasticizer. Additionally, by increasing the zeolite loading, the gas diffusivity variations in the membranes decreased. This reduction is another sign of the plasticization reduction in the MMMs as compared to the pure glassy membranes.

CH4‐Selective Mixed‐Matrix Membranes Containing Functionalized Silica for Natural Gas Purification

AbstractMixed‐matrix membranes were prepared by incorporating functionalized silica nanoparticles (SNPs) into the poly(ether‐block‐amide). The gas permeation properties of membranes were investigated for the separation of N2 and CO2 from CH4. Results revealed that chemical modification of SNPs and incorporation of the carboxylic groups on its surface had a strong interaction with the polymer matrix and improved the distribution of the nanofiller in the membrane matrix. According to the gas permeation experiments at various SNPs loadings and feed pressures, different trends were observed for the permeability and selectivity. Incorporation of the modified‐SNPs nanofiller into the membrane enhanced the CH4 permeability, as well as the CH4/N2 and CO2/N2 selectivities.

Natural gas purification by asymmetric membranes: An overview

Natural gas, as a very important source of energy and chemical feedstock, can be used in place of coal to lower net carbon dioxide emissions. Membrane separation technology is an attractive alternative for natural gas purification where the impurities represented by acid gases (CO2 and H2S) as well as inert gases (N2) must be removed to meet the transportation and usage specifications. From the economic benefits viewpoint, asymmetric membranes are required for industrial manufacture and applications. This paper aims to review the latest development of various kinds of asymmetric membranes for natural gas purification, mainly focusing on CO2 removal from CH4, including H2S and N2 separation from CH4 as well. According to material types, polymeric, inorganic, mixed-matrix and carbon molecular sieve membranes are introduced. The associated fabrication approaches and transport properties are discussed for each kinds of asymmetric membranes. Towards the practical implementation, an emphasis is placed on hollow fiber asymmetric structure for these polymeric, mixed-matrix and carbon molecular sieve membranes.

Preparation of NH2-SH-GO/SWCNTs based on graphene oxide/single-walled carbon nanotubes for CO2 and N2 separation from blast furnace gas

The traditional molecular sieve membrane for gas separation is mostly prepared by zeolite, MOFs and other materials. Nano-carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes have been studied in the field of gas separation in recent years which have large specific surface area and high porosity. The performance of carbon nanotubes and graphene can be effectively improved by adding corresponding groups. A novel molecular sieve membrane was synthesized by sulfhydryl and amino-modified graphene oxide/oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (NH 2 -SH-GO/SWCNTs). The composite material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermo-gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area analyzers. The results reveal that laminated graphene oxide and tubular single-walled carbon nanotubes are intertwined and carbon nanotubes attach onto the surface of GO or intercalate into the GO sheets to form a spatial stereoscopic structure. TGA results demonstrate that the loading amount of amino and sulfydryl groups in NH 2 -SH-GO/SWCNTs is about 11.91 wt%. When the intake pressure of N 2 is 0.10 MPa, the permeability coefficient for N 2 passing through NH 2 -SH-GO/SWCNTs is 1829 Barrer. With the increase of temperature, permeability coefficient for N 2 decreases, while it increases as the intake pressure rises. The experimental results for mixed gases passing through NH 2 -SH-GO/SWCNTs show that, when P 0 = 0.10 MPa and T = 323 K, the permeability coefficient for CO 2 is 1896 Barrer, while that for CO is only 116 Barrer. At 323 K, selectivity for N 2 /CO, CO 2 /CO and CO 2 /N 2 is 39.2, 46.3, and 9.3, respectively. These results indicate that NH 2 -SH-GO/SWCNTs may be a promising molecular sieve membrane for gas separation. • Simultaneously separate CO 2 and N 2 from blast furnace gas. • Preparation of new style NH 2 -SH-GO/SWCNTs. • The permeability coefficient for N 2 is 1829 Barrer. • Selectivity for N 2 /CO, CO 2 /CO and CO 2 /N 2 is 39.2, 46.3, and 9.3, respectively.

Phase separation in the supercritical mixtures of N2, H2O and CO2 through a molecular dynamics study

Phase separation in supercritical fluids has considerable influence on their equations of state. The ternary mixtures (H2O, N2 and CO2) of detonation products are studied under various extreme conditions using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the reactive force fields (ReaxFF). N2 separation from the mixtures is noted in most systems, especially for those with high density and/or under low temperature. While van der Waals repulsion becomes significant for dense systems, strong electrostatic attraction between H2O and CO2 tends to stabilize the systems, making N2 separate from the mixtures. The simulated pressures reach overall agreements with predictions from experiment-based Becker-Kistiakowsky-Wilson equation. Our simulations reveal the origin of phase separation in the H2O–N2–CO2 mixtures, and verify that MD/ReaxFF simulations produce reliable results for the systems under supercritical conditions.

Synthesis of triptycene-based linear polyamide membrane for molecular sieving of N2 from the VOC mixture

In this study, triptycene-based carboxylic acid (triptycene-2,3,6,7-tetracarboxylic acid) was synthesized for polycondensation with two amino compounds to ultimately form linear polyamides with different backbone structures. Characterizations, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, were performed to confirm the polycondensation, and the structural properties were determined. Solubility of the synthesized polyamides was also measured. Subsequently, these polyamides were fabricated into membranes to investigate the separation of N2 over the VOCs, and their stability and separation performance under different operating conditions were determined. Good separation performance, such as a rejection rate above 95%, was obtained during the studied separation range for the N2/VOC mixture, indicating that a linear polymer can also be used for the separation of a condensable gas/vapor mixture and only the rotation of polymer chains can be restricted to a certain extent by the side groups.

The effect of silica nanoparticles on polysulfone–polyethylene glycol (PSF/PEG) composite membrane on gas separation and rheological properties of nanocomposites

Currently, composite membranes play a significant role in the separation of acidic gases. Inorganic nanoparticles are used in these composite membranes to enhance the thermal and chemical properties of composites. In this study, polysulfone–polyethylene glycol/silica (PSF–PEG/silica) nanocomposite membranes were investigated for the purpose of improvement of the N2, O2, CH4 and CO2 separation properties. The results of gas permeability in nanocomposite membranes showed that the PSF/PEG 10,000 membrane, with 20 wt% of silica, provided the best gas separation properties. CO2 permeability in the nanocomposite membrane with 20 wt% of silica was 13.36 Barrer. In addition, the ideal selectivity for CO2/N2 paired gases in this membrane was 45.76, which was higher than the values obtained in the pure PSF membrane and the composite membrane with 20 wt% PEG 10,000. In addition, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and a tensile strength test were all used to examine the membrane structure and morphology of the nanocomposite. Finally, mechanical rheometry was used to study the rheological properties of hybrid nanosized composites and the effect of nanoparticle percentage on them.