A thesis on the ultra-thin, high permeability carbon dioxide polymer mixed matrix complex by Professor Jung Tae Park from Department of Chemical Engineering at College of Engineering from Konkuk University and Professor Jong Hak Kim from Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from Yonsei University was published on the latest issue of ‘ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering’ (Sep, 6th). (Thesis title: Ultrathin, Highly Permeable Graphene Oxide/Zeolitic Imidazole Framework Polymeric Mixed-Matrix Composite Membranes: Engineering the CO2‑Philic Pathway) Prof. Jung Tae Park Eun Ho Song (Master’s Degree)
Prof. Park’s research team synthesized GO-ZIF in which zinc-cobalt (bimetal) Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) were grown on the surface of Graphene Oxide, and added it as a filler on PVI-POEM copolymer to produce an ultra-thin mixed matrix composite membrane with high transmittance. The structure of GO-ZIF filler connected to high surface area proposed in this study not only provides a permeation path for CO2 gas but enables to obtain high CO2/N2, CO2/CH4 selectivity through acid-base interaction between copolymer and CO2 molecule.
Through the study, the team obtained high CO2 transmittance rate (995.1 GPU at a pressure of 1 bar) and high performance at the selectivity of CO2/N2, CO2/CH4 while proving higher performance of the existing papers applying MOF to the polymer composite membrane. Furthermore, the research of GO-ZIF polymer composite membrane is significant in that it has a promising potential to be applied to membrane separation techniques other than CO2 gas separation.
The co-first authors of the thesis were Eun Ho Song, a master’s degree student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Konkuk University, Dr. Chang Soo Lee from the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University while Prof. Jung Tae Park from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Konkuk University and Prof. Jong Hak Kim from the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University participated as the corresponding authors. This study was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT’s basic research project in the field of science and engineering, climate change response technology development project and strategic international joint research project.