Molecular-Scale Hybrid Membranes Derived from Metal-Organic Polyhedra for Gas Separation.

The preparation and the performance of mixed matrix membranes based on metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) are reported. MOP fillers can be dispersed as discrete molecular units (average 9 nm in diameter) when low filler cargos are used. In spite of the low doping amount (1.6 wt %), a large performance enhancement in permeability, aging resistance, and selectivity can be achieved. We rationalize this effect on the basis of the large surface to volume ratio of the filler, which leads to excellent dispersion at low concentrations and thus alters polymer packing. Although membranes based only on the polymer component age quickly with time, the performance of the resulting MOP-containing membranes meets the commercial target for postcombustion CO capture for more than 100 days.