Electron-mediated control of nanoporosity for targeted molecular separation in carbon membranes

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes are considered game-changers to overcome the challenges that conventional polymeric membranes face. However, CMS membranes also confront a challenge in successfully separating extremely similar-sized molecules. In this article, high-precision tuning of the micr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2022-08, Vol.13 (1), p.4972-4972, Article 4972
Main Authors: Oh, Banseok, Seo, Hyeokjun, Choi, Jihoon, Lee, Sunggyu, Koh, Dong-Yeun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Aging
Carbon
Carbon dioxide
Electron irradiation
Humanities and Social Sciences
Irradiation
Membranes
Molecular sieves
multidisciplinary
Performance degradation
Permeability
Pyrolysis
Radiation dosage
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Selectivity
Separation
Standard components
Tuning
Two dimensional materials
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Summary:Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes are considered game-changers to overcome the challenges that conventional polymeric membranes face. However, CMS membranes also confront a challenge in successfully separating extremely similar-sized molecules. In this article, high-precision tuning of the microstructure of CMS membranes is proposed by controlled electron irradiation for the separation of molecules with size differences less than 0.05 nm. Fitting CMS membranes for targeted molecular separation can be accomplished by irradiation dosage control, resulting in highly-efficient C 2 H 4/ C 2 H 6 separation for low dosages (∼250kGy, with selectivity ∼14) and ultra-selective H 2 /CO 2 separation for high dosages (1000∼2000kGy with selectivity ∼80).The electron irradiated CMS also exhibits highly stabilized permeability and selectivity for long-term operation than the pristine CMS, which suffers from significant performance degradation due to physical aging. This study successfully demonstrates electron irradiation as a possible way to construct “designer” nanoporous carbon membranes out of the standard components mostly confined to pyrolysis conditions. Controlled molecular separation by membranes requires 2D materials with precise structures to achieve the desired selectivity. Here authors demonstrate precise selectivity tuning in carbon membranes using electron irradiation.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-32703-4