Amine‐functionalized Ti <sub>3</sub> C <sub>2</sub> T <sub>x</sub> MXene‐integrated Nanocomposite Membranes via Vapor‐phase Interfacial Polymerization for CO <sub>2</sub> Separation
Escalating anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and global decarbonization imperatives are catalyzing a paradigm shift toward membrane-based gas separation as a scalable and energy-efficient frontier for post-combustion CO<sub>2</sub> capture. This work reports a sustainable vapor-phase interfacial polymerization (VP-IP) method for fabricating polyamideselective layer in Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub>-NH<sub>2</sub> MXene-incorporated thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for CO<sub>2</sub> separation. VP-IP eliminates hazardous volatile organic solvents and provides precise control over polymer chain growth, crosslinking density, and interfacial morphology. MXene serves as a CO<sub>2-</sub>philic nanofiller, forming hierarchical nanoconfined transport channels that facilitate preferential CO<sub>2</sub> transport. The optimized [email protected] membrane with 0.5 wt.% Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub>x</sub>-NH<sub>2</sub> loading achieves CO<sub>2</sub> permeance of 389.28 GPU and CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> selectivity of 15.11 at 25 °C and 1 bar pressure. Temperature-dependent analysis reveals a notable increase in CO<sub>2</sub> permeance to 418.5 GPU with enhance CO<sub>2</sub>/N<sub>2</sub> selectivity to 42.22 at 40 °C, surpassing both the 2019 and 2008 Robeson upper bounds. Systematic structure-performance correlations under varying thermodynamic conditions reveal a synergistic interplay between molecular sieving sorption selectivity and diffusion path tortuosity, wherein MXene acts as multifunctional sorption-selective nodes. This sustainable strategy offers a scalable and environmentally benign route for industrial CO<sub>2</sub> capture and circular carbon utilization, aligning with sustainability goals and advancing the transition toward low-carbon process intensification.
Authors
- Gauri Hazarika
- Pravin G. Ingole (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-8758)
Institutions
- North East Institute of Science and Technology (IN)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-12-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202511574
- Primary Topic
- Membrane Separation and Gas Transport
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India