Structure and gas permeation of nanoporous carbon membranes based on RF resin/F-127 with variable catalysts

Nanoporous carbon membranes (NCMs) were fabricated by the blends of resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) resin and Pluronic F-127 through the processes of assembly, membrane-casting, solidification, and pyrolysis. The effect of the catalyst type (i.e., NaOH and Na2CO3) on the structure and property of precursors and their derived NCMs was investigated. The as-obtained precursors and NCMs were characterized by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, nitrogen adsorption, and gas permeation techniques. The results have shown that defect-free NCMs can be easily procured by the NaOH and Na2CO3catalysts. In contrast, the precursor made from the Na2CO3catalyst exhibits higher char yield than that from NaOH after pyrolysis. NaOH-based NCMs are beneficial for the separation of H2/N2and CO2/N2gas pairs. Na2CO3-based NCMs are more favorable for the separation of O2/N2with an ideal selectivity of 6.29 and an O2permeability of 3.27 Barrer.