Facile Synthesis of Mixed Matrix Membranes Embedded With MOF‐Incorporated Mesoporous Silica Composite Fillers for Gas Separation

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are highly recognized owing to their efficient CO 2 extraction from various industrial gas mixtures. A composite material made of SBA‐15 and MOF‐199 was synthesized and subsequently integrated into a PEBA polymer matrix. Membrane characterization results obtained from SEM, FTIR, XRD, and TGA indicate good compatibility between PEBA‐1657 and the MOF‐199@SBA‐15 filler, suggesting effective incorporation of the filler within the polymer matrix. 5 wt% MOF‐199@SBA‐15/PEBA unveiled permeability of 67.11, 1.24, 1.74, and 4.23 Barrer for CO 2 , N 2 , CH 4 , and H 2 , respectively, and selectivity of 103.48, 38.36, and 17.12 for CO 2 /N 2 , CO 2 /CH 4 , and CO 2 /H 2 , respectively. Compared to the pristine membrane, the composite membrane exhibits 66%, 39%, and 63% higher CO 2 /N 2 , CO 2 /CH 4 , and CO 2 /H 2 selectivity. In comparison with 5 wt% MOF‐199/PEBA and 5 wt% SBA‐15/PEBA membranes, 5 wt% MOF‐199@SBA‐15/PEBA exhibits fourfold higher CO 2 /N 2 selectivity. Further, the optimized MMM was evaluated for the CO 2 :CH 4 (vol%) binary mixtures of 3:97, 45:55, and 85:15, which show an increase in CO 2 permeability with the increase in CO 2 concentration in the feed mixture. These results revealed that the prepared composite MOF‐199@SBA‐15 filler substantially impacted the performance of MMM for CO 2 removal from biogas and power plant off‐gases.