Peculiarity of a CO2-philic block copolymer confined in thin films with constrained thickness: “a super membrane for CO2-capture”

CO2-philic block copolymer thin films with constrained thickness, comparable to the polymer radius of gyration (Rg), were examined due to their strange behaviour. The experimental CO2 permeances for example are almost two-fold higher than those theoretically calculated by the relation between permeance, thickness and permeability. We suggest that the reduction of film thickness towards Rg and the re-organization of the block-copolymer (by using an appropriate substrate) in a constrained nanospace result in a super permeable membrane. This finding may have great implications for the design of smart materials, especially for applications as selective membranes for CO2-capture.