Wilfredo Yave

Nanometric thin film membranes manufactured on square meter scale: ultra-thin films for CO2 capture

Miniaturization and manipulation of materials at nanometer scale are key challenges in nanoscience and nanotechnology. In membrane science and technology, the fabrication of ultra-thin polymer films (defect-free) on square meter scale with uniform thickness (<100 nm) is crucial. By using a tailor-made polymer and by controlling the nanofabrication conditions, we developed and manufactured defect-free ultra-thin film membranes with unmatched carbon dioxide permeances, i.e. > 5 m(3) (STP) m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1). The permeances are extremely high, because the membranes are made from a CO(2) philic polymer material and they are only a few tens of nanometers thin. Thus, these thin film membranes have potential application in the treatment of large gas streams under low pressure like, e.g., carbon dioxide separation from flue gas.

Peculiarity of a CO2-philic block copolymer confined in thin films with constrained thickness: “a super membrane for CO2-capture”

CO2-philic block copolymer thin films with constrained thickness, comparable to the polymer radius of gyration (Rg), were examined due to their strange behaviour. The experimental CO2 permeances for example are almost two-fold higher than those theoretically calculated by the relation between permeance, thickness and permeability. We suggest that the reduction of film thickness towards Rg and the re-organization of the block-copolymer (by using an appropriate substrate) in a constrained nanospace result in a super permeable membrane. This finding may have great implications for the design of smart materials, especially for applications as selective membranes for CO2-capture.