ABSTRACT Although mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are currently considered effective for gas separation, achieving defect‐free MMMs remains challenging due to poor interfacial adhesion between the organic matrix and inorganic filler. To address this issue, this study aims to surface modification of silica nanoparticles through the graft polymerization of acrylamide, followed by the incorporation of the modified silica into a Pebax matrix. The nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, FE‐SEM, and TGA, while the fabricated MMMs were characterized using additional methods like XRD, DSC, mechanical strength, and pure gas permeability analyses (He, N 2 , O 2 , CH 4 , and CO 2 ). Characterization of the membranes revealed that the incorporation of nanoparticles increased chain mobility, which in turn reduced the crystallinity of the Pebax matrix. The gas separation results indicated that the permeability of all gases increased with the addition of modified silica, while the solubility and, consequently, the permeability of CO 2 gas through the MMMs increased more significantly, likely due to interactions between CO 2 and the functional groups on the particle surfaces. The highest CO 2 permeability was achieved with a 3% loading, while the maximum CO 2 /N 2 selectivity was observed at a 5% loading. These values represent improvements of 34.4% and 38.25%, respectively, compared to the pure membrane.
Salehi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.