Graphene oxide – molybdenum disulfide hybrid membranes for hydrogen separation

Abstract Graphene oxide – molybdenum disulfide hybrid membranes were prepared using vacuum filtration technique. The thickness and the MoS 2 content in the membranes were varied and their H 2 permeance and H 2 /CO 2 selectivity are reported. A 60 nm hybrid membrane containing ~ 75% by weight of MoS 2 exhibited the highest H 2 permeance of 804 × 10 −9  mol/m 2  s Pa with corresponding H 2 /CO 2 selectivity of 26.7; while a 150 nm hybrid membrane with ~ 29% MoS 2 showed the highest H 2 /CO 2 selectivity of 44.2 with corresponding H 2 permeance of 287 × 10 −9  mol/m 2  s Pa. The hybrid membranes exhibited much higher H 2 permeance compared to graphene oxide membranes and higher selectivity compared to MoS 2 membranes, which fully demonstrated the synergistic effect of both nanomaterials. The membranes also displayed excellent operational long-term stability.