Enhancing Carbon Dioxide Separation Efficiency in Mixed Matrix Membranes Using Titania Nanoparticles and Polyether Sulfone

Abstract

Membrane science is an advanced, environmentally sustainable technology that provides distinct advantages over traditional methods for CO₂ capture and separation. In this study, mixed matrix membranes were synthesized by incorporating varying concentrations of titania into polyethersulfone using the phase-inversion technique for the separation of CO₂/CH₄ and CO₂/N₂ gas mixtures. Thermal, chemical and morphological analysis demonstrated the beneficial impact of TiO₂ on the performance of MMMs, particularly when compared to the pristine membrane. Moreover, the TiO₂ loading was shown to improve gas separation performance by reducing the thickness of the dense layer and increasing permeability through uniform filler dispersion. The highest value of optimum selectivity (CO₂/CH₄) was attained with 3 wt% TiO₂ loading, which is 22.3% more than that of the pristine membrane. This performance is attributed to strong interfacial interactions between polyethersulfone and TiO₂ at this specific loading, as illustrated by the morphological diagram.