(444a) Novel Mixed Matrix Polymer Membranes for Critical Gas Separations

Polymeric membranes, which present an efficient solution for emergent technologies, such as CO₂ capture and natural gas purification, are effective at the selective and efficient transport of gases. The field of polymer membrane design is primarily based on empirical observation, which limits the discovery of new, advanced materials most appropriate for separating a given gas pair. Instead of relying on exhaustive experimental investigations, we apply machine learning on a limited set of experimental gas permeability data to predict the behavior of over 10,000 homopolymer architectures that are currently known. However this approach, while extremely efficient, suggests that the current polymers used in membrane applications represent the best that this template can provide – thus new platforms are required to improve performance.

To this end we thus propose novel membranes based on polymers grafted on to nanoparticles (GNPs). The issues raised by these methods and ways to use and leverage them to systematically improve performance is the major focus of my talk.