Novel preparation of NaA/carbon nanocomposite thin films with high permeance for CO2/CH4 separation

Novel NaA/carbon nanocomposite thin films were successfully prepared on a porous alpha-Al2O3 substrate by incorporating nanosized NaA zeolite into novolak-type phenolic resin. The prepared films were characterized by XRD, SEM and single gas permeation tests. The NaA zeolite/carbon nanocomposite thin films exhibited that the ideal separation factor of CO2/CH4 was 28.4 and the carbon dioxide flux was 3.39 x 10(-7) mol/(Pa m(2) s) at room temperature and under a pressure difference of 100 kPa, which was two orders of magnitude higher than that of pure carbon membrane prepared at the same procedures and conditions as those of composite films. From the SEM images, the films were continuous and highly intergrown. Compared with carbon membranes, the thickness of nanocomposite films was drastically decreased, which was helpful to reduce the diffusion resistance and increase the flux of gas permeance. (c) 2007 Jin Qu Wang. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.