Ultrahigh permeation of CO2 capture using composite organosilica membranes

Abstract The excessive release of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels is of great concern, and effective treatment methods are urgently needed to solve the resulting crisis. Membrane-based separation processes have attracted significant attention due to their advantages, such as low investment cost, low energy consumption, and ease of operation. Herein, composite organosilica membranes were fabricated via co-polymerization reactions between bis(triethoxysilyl)acetylene (BTESA), bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (BTESB), and 4,4′-bis(triethoxysilyl)-1,1′-biphenyl (BTESBPh). Then, dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, and sorption measurements were used to assess the evolution of the network structures. We found that the addition of BTESB into BTESA densified membrane structures, while the co-polymerization reactions between BTESA and BTESBPh increased membrane pore sizes. Thus, all membranes exhibited great potential for CO2 capture and would be competitive candidates as suitable membrane materials for CO2 treatment applications.