Fluorine-rich poly(arylene amine) membranes for the separation of liquid aliphatic compounds
We explored the potential for membrane materials to reduce energy and carbon requirements for the separation of aliphatic hydrocarbon feedstocks and products. We developed a series of fluorine-rich poly(arylene amine) polymer membranes that feature rigid polymer backbones with segregated perfluoroalkyl side chains. This combination imbues the polymers with resistance to dilation induced by hydrocarbon immersion without the loss of solution-based membrane fabrication techniques. These materials exhibit good separation of liquid-phase alkane isomers at ambient temperatures. The integration of these polymeric membranes into fuel and chemical feedstock separation processes was investigated in a series of experiments. Technoeconomic analyses based on these experiments indicate that the best-performing membrane materials can substantially reduce the energy costs and associated carbon emissions of hydrocarbon separations (two to 10 times, depending on product specifications).
Authors
- Akriti Sarswat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8070-9233)
- Janani Sampath (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6005-9096)
- Ryan P. Lively (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8039-4008)
- Ping Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6141-5424)
- Sheng Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2542-0525)
- Yacine Feliachi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9530-1048)
- Yi Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1135-2082)
- Mohammed Al Otmi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9296-440X)
- Matthew J. Realff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5423-5206)
- Young‐Joo Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2706-3357)
- Jinsu Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4669-1631)
- Won-Yong Jang
- Z. C. Zhai
- Shijie Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4826-3488)
- Hui Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7643-8723)
- Changhui Dai
Institutions
- Chonnam National University (KR)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Nanjing University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2025-01-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp2619
- Citations
- 36
- Primary Topic
- Membrane Separation and Gas Transport
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 25.68