Characterization and molecular simulation of Pebax-1657-based mixed matrix membranes incorporating MoS 2 nanosheets for carbon dioxide capture enhancement

Abstract

In this study, a facile method was developed to fabricate MoS 2 nanosheet-enhanced Pebax-MoS 2 mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for CO 2 capture. A super mixer was introduced to ensure the homogeneity of the as-prepared solutions, and a far more efficient method of Pebax-MoS 2 MMM preparation was accordingly achieved. The membrane structures were observed by SEM, and membrane crystallinity was examined by XRD and DSC. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were utilized to verify that the Pebax-MoS 2 membranes were well prepared. The gas permeability results showed that the Pebax membrane doped with 4.76 wt % MoS 2 nanosheets had the best performance, with a CO 2 permeability of 67.05 Barrer and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 90.61. The molecular simulation technique used for the Pebax-MoS 2 MMMs was first adopted by our group to investigate CO 2 solubility and CO 2 /N 2 solubility selectivity. The simulation results demonstrated the strong affinity of CO 2 for the added MoS 2 , consequently contributing to high CO 2 /N 2 selectivity, and were highly correlated with the experimental results. Pebax-1657-based MMMs incorporating MoS 2 nanosheets can be therefore be considered a promising alternative for CO 2 capture applications. ? 2019 Elsevier B.V.