Novel polytriazole polymer membranes materials developed for the purification and separation of natural gas under high upstream feed pressure

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2025.06.022

摘要/Abstract

摘要： The gas transport properties of both single and mixed gas systems including CH₄, CO₂, N₂, C₂H₆, and helium (He) were investigated using novel polymer membranes fabricated via solution casting from organic solvents. The fluorinated polytriazole polymers were synthesized through a polycondensation method incorporating hexafluoroisopropylidene the main polymer backbone, with various fluorinated aniline derivatives as side chains. It was observed that the bulky fluorinated aniline derivative groups such as 4-fluoroaniline, 2,5-difluoroaniline, 4-bromo-2,5-difluoroaniline, and 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoroaniline significantly influenced the gas separation performance of the polymer membranes, particularly in terms of permeability and selectivity. The membranes exhibited excellent mechanical stability across a wide range of pure CO₂ feed pressures (100-800 psi, 1 psi = 6.895 kPa) without signs of plasticization, highlighting their robustness for high-pressure applications. Additionally, the polymer synthesis process is reproducible and can be readily scaled, with each material displaying high solubility in organic solvents such as dimethyl acetamide, chloroform, and N-methyl pyrrolidone. Compared to gases such as CH₄, N₂, and C₂H₆, the newly developed polymer membranes demonstrated superior permeability for CO₂ and He under upstream feed pressures of up to 800 psi. These materials represent a completely novel class of polymer membranes tailored for advanced gas purification technologies. Their enhanced separation performance, particularly for CO₂ removal and He recovery from natural gas streams at high processing pressures, positions them as promising candidates for industrial applications in gas purification and separation.

关键词: Polymers, Membranes, Separation and purification, Natural gas, Water

Abstract: The gas transport properties of both single and mixed gas systems including CH₄, CO₂, N₂, C₂H₆, and helium (He) were investigated using novel polymer membranes fabricated via solution casting from organic solvents. The fluorinated polytriazole polymers were synthesized through a polycondensation method incorporating hexafluoroisopropylidene the main polymer backbone, with various fluorinated aniline derivatives as side chains. It was observed that the bulky fluorinated aniline derivative groups such as 4-fluoroaniline, 2,5-difluoroaniline, 4-bromo-2,5-difluoroaniline, and 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoroaniline significantly influenced the gas separation performance of the polymer membranes, particularly in terms of permeability and selectivity. The membranes exhibited excellent mechanical stability across a wide range of pure CO₂ feed pressures (100-800 psi, 1 psi = 6.895 kPa) without signs of plasticization, highlighting their robustness for high-pressure applications. Additionally, the polymer synthesis process is reproducible and can be readily scaled, with each material displaying high solubility in organic solvents such as dimethyl acetamide, chloroform, and N-methyl pyrrolidone. Compared to gases such as CH₄, N₂, and C₂H₆, the newly developed polymer membranes demonstrated superior permeability for CO₂ and He under upstream feed pressures of up to 800 psi. These materials represent a completely novel class of polymer membranes tailored for advanced gas purification technologies. Their enhanced separation performance, particularly for CO₂ removal and He recovery from natural gas streams at high processing pressures, positions them as promising candidates for industrial applications in gas purification and separation.

Key words: Polymers, Membranes, Separation and purification, Natural gas, Water

Husnul Maab, Azra Touheed, Salman Salman, Maaz Khan. Novel polytriazole polymer membranes materials developed for the purification and separation of natural gas under high upstream feed pressure[J]. 中国化学工程学报, 2025, 88(12): 379-397.

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