nano composite pebax®/peg membranes: effect of mwnt filler on co2/ch4 separation

the performances of two-phase polymer-liquid pebax®/polyethylene glycol (peg) and three-phase polymer-liquid-solid pebax®/peg/mwnt thin film composite membranes for co2 and ch4 permeation were studied. the effect of temperature and mwnt/pebax® ratio on single gas (co2 and ch4) permeability was investigated. the permeation of both gases was measured at different temperatures from 303 to 323 ˚k. the results exhibited that the pebax®/peg/mwnt membrane had better permeability for co2 in comparison to the pebax®/peg membrane, whereas co2/ch4 selectivities in both membranes were almost the same; i.e. mwnt filler promoted the performance of pebax®/peg membrane in co2/ch4 separation. also, the permeability increases with temperature in all experiments. for the three-phase pebax®/peg/mwnt membrane, co2 permeability was determined 221 barrer in 323˚k and the selectivity was obtained as 23 in 303 ˚k.