Preparation and characterization of dimethyldichlorosilane modified SiO2/PSf nanocomposite membrane

Investigations on nanocomposite membranes imply that these hybrid materials recommend promising newgeneration membranes for gas separation in future. In this study, to investigate the effects of preparation parameters on the morphology and gas transport, various parameters including nanofiller content, surface modification and polymer concentration were considered. Two types of fumed silica nanoparticles (nonmodified and modified) were used to study the surface modification effect on agglomeration, void formation and gas separation properties of prepared membranes. Prepared nanocomposite membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and tensile strength techniques. The gas permeabilities of hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide through pure PSf and nanocomposites were measured as a function of silica volume fraction, and permeability coefficients were determined using a variable pressure/constant volume experimental setup. Results showed that gas permeabilities increase with silica content, and proper H2/CH4 and H2/CO2 selectivities can be achieved with modified type of silica nanoparticles due to inhibition of particle agglomeration and bonding with polymer network. Hydrogen selectivity was improved by using 15 wt% polymer content instead of 9 wt% in preparation of nanocomposite membrane with same silica content. Gas permeation results indicated that increasing of feed pressure from 3 bar to 6 bar has a positive effect on selectivity of H2/CH4 but negligible effect on that of H2/CO2 for modified silica/PSf membrane.