Layer-by-layer assembly of a polymer of intrinsic microporosity: targeting the CO2/N2 separation problem

A polymer of intrinsic microporosity, 1, has been incorporated into a series of polyelectrolyte multilayers via the layer-by-layer deposition method. One of these assemblies [a 6 nm multilayer derived from 1 plus poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)] showed exceptional permeation properties with respect to CO2 and N2. Specifically, this film exhibited a CO2 permeance of 130 GPU and a CO2/N2 selectivity of 33.