Nanostructured Membrane Materials for CO2 Capture: A Critical Review

To mitigate carbon emission from the combustion of fossil fuels, membrane is advantageous due to the fact that membrane is a thin interphase acting as a selective barrier separating two phases. This thinness, typically in the range of 100 nm to a few micrometers, provides an almost natural platform to implement functional nanostructures. In this review, the recent progress in nanostructured membrane materials for CO2 capture will be discussed, including applications in flue gas decarbonizing (CO2/N-2 separation) and syngas purification (CO2/H-2 separation). In addition, the fundamentals of membrane technologies are also introduced. The reviewed nanostructure formation is confined to solid state materials, including polymer with intrinsic microporosity, carbon-based membranes, zeolite, and metal organic framework.