다층 구조를 가진 5A 제올라이트를 탄소 분자체 분리막에 첨가한 복합막을 제조하고 질소/산소의 분리 특성을 평가하였다. 제올라이트의 첨가는 선택도에는 미세한 영향을 주지만 투과도를 크게 증가시키는 방법으로 전체적인 탄소막의 질소/산소의 분리 성능을 상승시켰다. 특히 메조포어를 함유한 다층구조의 제올라이트 첨가제는 분리막의 투과도를 보다 효율적으로 상승시켜 아주 우수한 분리 성능에 도달하였다. 이 연구의 결과는 저렴한 탄소막 전구체와 제올라이트 소재를 활용하 고도 고성능의 질소/산소 분리막을 손쉽게 제조할 수 있다는 것을 제시한다.

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membrane surpasses the upper-bound trade-off and plasticization phenomenon of polymer membrane. Recently, supported CMS membranes have been investigated to provide both high performance and mechanical strength. Herein, we have investigated the supported CMS hollow fiber membranes on low-cost alumina hollow fiber. To prepare the thin and uniform layers, the dip-coating parameters for intermediate and polymeric layers were varied in terms of the withdrawal rate and solution viscosity, respectively. Then, in order to confirm its feasibility in real industry, mixture gas was permeated through prepared CMS membranes. Moreover, the property of long-term stability was characterized in harsh conditions and further modified.

To separate olefin from paraffin efficiently, highly selective and permeable carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membrane has been employed. Especially, supported CMS membrane could offer high permeance and mechanical strength. However, it has been limited to flat or tubular type membranes despite a lower packing density due to a difficult manufacturing process of hollow fiber membrane. Thus, we have optimized the process to prepare the CMS membrane on alumina hollow fiber. To coat a defect-free thin alumina intermediate layer, the withdrawal speed during dip-coating process was varied, and the viscosity of polymer solution was controlled to form uniform layer. Then, the pyrolyzed CMS membrane was tested in propylene/propane mixture gas system as well as single component. Moreover, a long-term performance was evaluated in harsh conditions.