(227e) Semiconducting Polymeric Fiber Sorbents for Gas Separations Via Electro-Swing Adsorption

Cost and energy-efficient gas separations are necessary to address anthropogenic climate change. Researchers have developed structured contactors that are capable of joule heating for electro-swing adsorption (ESA). Some issues that arise in the development of these materials are the harsh environments needed to make a semiconducting matrix or difficulty finding stable and conductive adsorbent materials for ESA applications. Here, a highly conjugated polymer, polyaniline, is structured into syringe-extruded fibers embedded with various classes of microporous materials. The resulting composite is doped with organic salts to imbue the polymeric matrix with semiconducting properties, specifically joule heating in the presence of an electric current. These fibers were characterized via TGA, SEM, FTIR, N₂ physisorption at 77 K, XPS, and dynamic breakthrough experiments. The fibers show consistent heating profiles and retain their separation capabilities after multiple joule heating cycles, showing their potential for electro-swing adsorption composites utilizing any adsorbent material.