Nanoporous Membrane Support for Durable CO2 Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing membranes for gas separation, particularly for CO2 capture, lack the combination of high selectivity and high flux, durability, and are costly, making them unsuitable for industrial applications.
Innovation Solution
A porous membrane support is fabricated using a method that includes polishing a substrate, coating with ceramic nanospheres, and forming a self-assembled nanoporous structure with a sol-gel solution to create nanopores, optimizing the membrane's structure for enzyme-catalyzed CO2 separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If polymeric membranes are used for gas separation, then chemical resistance and stability are improved, but selectivity and flux are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines polymeric membrane base layers with inorganic nanoporous coatings (alumina, silica, or titania) to create composite membranes that integrate the chemical stability of polymers with the high selectivity and flux of inorganic materials. The inorganic coating layer is applied on top of the polymeric support, creating a hierarchical structure that leverages the advantages of both material types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs nanoporous inorganic coatings with controlled pore sizes (2-50 nm) on the membrane surface. These porous structures provide high surface area and tailored pore dimensions that enhance both selectivity (through molecular sieving) and flux (through increased permeation pathways), while the inorganic nature maintains chemical stability.
2Reliability
If inorganic membranes are used instead of polymeric membranes, then durability is improved, but cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the membrane into two functional segments: a polymeric base layer that provides mechanical strength and chemical resistance, and a thin inorganic nanoporous coating that provides durability and separation performance. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently and manufactured through separate processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a sol-gel process as an intermediary manufacturing method to apply the inorganic coating. This liquid-phase deposition technique allows the inorganic material to be applied from solution and then converted to a solid porous structure, simplifying the manufacturing compared to traditional dense inorganic membrane fabrication methods.
3Productivity
If enzyme-laden water droplets in ultrathin nanopores are used for CO2 capture, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but membrane support durability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite membrane structure where enzyme-laden hydrogel particles are embedded within a durable inorganic nanoporous coating on a polymeric support. This composite structure protects the enzymes and hydrogel from mechanical damage while maintaining access to CO2 substrate, enabling cost-effective enzyme-catalyzed separation with improved durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates localized enzyme-containing regions (hydrogel particles) within the membrane structure, concentrated in specific zones where they can interact with CO2. The surrounding inorganic matrix provides mechanical protection while allowing substrate diffusion, creating different functional qualities in different spatial locations of the membrane.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enhances membrane performance by improving selectivity and flux while ensuring durability, making it suitable for industrial CO2 capture applications.
Implementation Method 1
forming a self-assembled nanoporous structure on the ceramic nanosphere layer
Implementation Method 2
coating a layer of sol-gel solution onto the ceramic nanosphere layer... to form a self-assembled nanoporous structure
Implementation Method 3
selectively permeable membranes configured to use catalysis to accelerate the selective permeation process
Implementation Method 4
forming a nanoporous layer on top of the porous support
Implementation Method 5
employ enzymes in aqueous solution to catalyze the conversion of CO2 to a water-soluble form to facilitate the uptake of CO2 into solution, and then further catalyze the conversion of soluble CO2 into the gas phase
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of preparing a porous robust support to host an ultra-thin enzyme-assisted membrane, and a new membrane system that can be used for gas filtration purposes to remove/separate carbon dioxide or other gases from a gas mixture such as those from power production or enhanced oil recovery or fuel production or air and recycle/collect/utilize carbon dioxide are disclosed herein. A method may include protecting the surface with a blocking material and polishing the protected surface, coating a thin layer of silica nanospheres onto the polished surface, coating a silica sol-gel and surfactant solution onto the nanospheres, and then removing the surfactant and blocking material to generate a well-defined porous structure with nanochannels.