Abstract

Fullerenol C60(OH)24 derived from the surface hydroxylation of fullerene was incorporated into the Pebaxmatrix for the first time to fabricate Pebax-C60(OH)24/PAN thin film composite membranes (TFCMs) via dipcoating method. To fully understand the behavior of Pebax-based TFCMs, the corresponding dense membraneswere prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with attenuated total reflection(ATR) mode, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gas permeation tests(CO2, N2, CH4, H2) to survey the effect of C60(OH)24 on Pebax matrix. The interaction between C60(OH)24 andPebax improved their compatibility as confirmed by FTIR and SEM. The presence of C60(OH)24 disrupted thePebax chain packing, resulting in a decrease of crystallinity and an increase of permeability. The CO2 permeanceof Pebax-C60(OH)24 (1 wt%)/PAN TFCMs was 338 GPU at 35 °C and 0.5 MPa, and the selectivity of CO2/N2 was41. The gas performance of the TFCMs was further improved as pressure increasing. Pebax-C60(OH)24/PANTFCMs were a promising candidate for CO2 capture.