Organic solvent-free in-situ polymerization of waterborne polyurethane with amino-grafted silica for carbon dioxide separation

The novel mixed-matrix membrane (MMMs) by incorporating covalently amino groups grafted nano-silica (Amino-NP) into an eco-friendly, organic solvent-free waterborne polyurethane (OSF-WPU) matrix for the separation application of CO2/N-2. This investigation focused on the gas permeance and separation performance of the MMMs. The optimized CO2/N-2 separation factor reached 8.21 +/- 0.478.21 +/- 0.47, with a CO2 permeance of 16.72 +/- 1.0216.72 +/- 1.02 GPU under conditions of 1.0 bar and 25(degrees)C in a wet mixed-gas state. Incorporating even a tiny amount of Amino-NP efficiently enhanced CO2 permeability and CO2/N-2 selectivity. OSF-WPU/Amino-NP MMMs demonstrated superior performance, emphasize their potential for stable long-term operation in practical CO2 separation applications.