MOF-Random Copolymer Mixed Matrix Membrane Monolayer

Inorganic-organic mixed matrix membrane is an interesting family of materials. MOF-polymer mixed matrix membranes combine the porous property of MOF nanoparticles and processibility of polymers, which can be used in large-scale gas separation. However, the bottleneck is how to enhance the compatibility of MOF and polymer and form homogeneous mixture. Herein, we propose to use random copolymer to modify the surface of MOF nanocrystals. In detail, we investigated UiO-67 nanocrystals with polystyrene-random-poly(4-vinylpyridine). Moreover, we generate MOF-random copolymer mixed matrix membrane monolayer by interfacial assembly. We investigated the nanostructure of mixed matrix membrane monolayer as a function of MOF nanoparticle concentration, polymer chain length and polymer composition. These monolayers are defect free in macroscopic scale and exhibit promising properties in gas separation.