2015 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 33-39
Novel hollow-fiber carbon membranes were successfully fabricated using poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) and derivatives as a precursor polymer. These free-standing carbon membranes had permeation properties above the upper bound of conventional polymeric membranes including PPO precursor polymers. Metal-containing carbon membranes derived from sulfonated PPO (SPPO) were also prepared by the ion exchange method and the effect of metal cations on the gas transport properties was studied. Transition metal ions such as Ag+ significantly enhanced gas permeabilities without affecting the ideal selectivities. The development of flexible hollow-fiber carbon membranes was successfully achieved using SPPO as a precursor polymer. Superior flexibility combined with excellent gas separation performance were obtained by pyrolysis at 600 °C. The present findings indicate the potential for commercial application of carbon membranes. Some applications of carbon membranes were also investigated such as selective dehydration of olefin gases, alcohol dehydration by pervaporation and CO2/CH4 mixed gas separation.
