Ultrathin polymer membranes with locked intrinsic microporosity for hydrocarbon fractionation.
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| Title: | Ultrathin polymer membranes with locked intrinsic microporosity for hydrocarbon fractionation. |
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| Authors: | Oxley, Adam (AUTHOR), Ye, Chunchun (AUTHOR), Han, Seok Ju (AUTHOR), Zhao, Guoke (AUTHOR), Guo, Yihao (AUTHOR), Shi, Xin (AUTHOR), Liu, Jie (AUTHOR), Smith, Keenan (AUTHOR), Sarter, Mona (AUTHOR), Upadhyaya, Lakshmeesha (AUTHOR), Hong, Shanshan (AUTHOR), Samaras, Vasilios G. (AUTHOR), Qian, Qin (AUTHOR), Liu, Yanan (AUTHOR), Nichol, Gary S. (AUTHOR), Liu, Yiqun (AUTHOR), Nunes, Suzana P. (AUTHOR), Foglia, Fabrizia (AUTHOR), Jiang, Jianwen (AUTHOR), Wang, Anqi (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science. 6/18/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6804, p1268-1273. 6p. |
| Subjects: | Polymeric membranes, Microporosity, Separation (Technology), Crosslinked polymers, Swelling of materials, Micropores, Artificial membranes |
| Abstract: | Membrane technologies offer an energy-efficient alternative to conventional distillation for hydrocarbon fractionation, but they suffer from a trade-off between fast liquid transport and high molecular selectivity. We report a scalable approach to fabricate polymer membranes with stable interconnected pathways by locking in their intrinsic microporosity. This locking strategy reduces polymer swelling and preserves the subnanometer pore structure in hydrocarbon liquids, resulting in 10-fold higher permeance for synthetic crude oil compared with current state-of-the-art membranes. When applied to Arabian Extra Light crude oil, these membranes achieved excellent size- and class-based separation, removing 99.8% of hydrocarbons containing >15 carbon atoms and 93% of sulfur-containing components. These scalable membranes underpin processes providing rapid and selective hydrocarbon separation, enabling a more sustainable pathway toward crude oil refining. Editor's summary: Tröger's base polymers are used for membrane preparation because their rigid and contorted backbones create subnanometer pores, yielding membranes with high free volume. However, swelling and dissolution can occur when used in organic media. Although this can be prevented by cross-linking the polymer, that tends to reduce the flux. Oxley et al. developed a method for in situ cross-linking using diacyl chlorides or dialkyl halides during film fabrication through solution-based processing. This approach locks in the intrinsic microporosity and ensures stability of the polymers even when immersed in organic solvents. The authors showed that the membranes could selectively fractionate Arabian Extra Light crude oil. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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