Improvement N2/SF6 separation performance on P84 derived carbon membrane by incorporating of zeolite-carbon composite

SF6 gas is one of the greenhouse gasses which contributed to the global warming effect. Separation of SF6 and N2 was investigated on the P84 and P84/ZCC carbon membrane. Carbon membranes were prepared via pyrolysis process at 700°C under N2 atmosphere. All of the carbon membranes were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). XRD results show a typical peak of carbon membranes at 2θ∼24° and 41-42° which correspond to the amorphous and aromatic graphite structures, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy image observed that the addition of ZCC filler has been successfully incorporated without producing surface defect on the carbon membrane. The introduction of zeolite-carbon composite particles into the co-polyimide matrix enhanced the selectivity of N2/SF6 by 136.85%. The permeability of N2 has improved by 7.65%. Yet the permeability of SF6 has decreased by 54.55%, which indicated the addition of ZCC filler gives a molecular sieving effect. It concluded that the P84/ZCC carbon membrane shows better N2/SF6 separation performance than the pristine P84 carbon membrane.