A novel Pebax-C60(OH)24/PAN thin film composite membrane for carbon dioxide capture

Abstract Fullerenol C60(OH) 24 derived from the surface hydroxylation of fullerene was incorporated into the Pebax matrix for the first time to fabricate Pebax-C60(OH) 24 /PAN thin film composite membranes (TFCMs) via dip coating method. To fully understand the behavior of Pebax-based TFCMs, the corresponding dense membranes were prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with attenuated total reflection (ATR) mode, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gas permeation tests (CO 2 , N 2 , CH 4 , H 2 ) to survey the effect of C60(OH) 24 on Pebax matrix. The interaction between C60(OH) 24 and Pebax improved their compatibility as confirmed by FTIR and SEM. The presence of C60(OH) 24 disrupted the Pebax chain packing, resulting in a decrease of crystallinity and an increase of permeability. The CO 2 permeance of Pebax-C60(OH) 24 (1 wt%)/PAN TFCMs was 338 GPU at 35 °C and 0.5 MPa, and the selectivity of CO 2 /N 2 was 41. The gas performance of the TFCMs was further improved as pressure increasing. Pebax-C60(OH) 24 /PAN TFCMs were a promising candidate for CO 2 capture.