Development of Novel Mesh-Adjustable Molecular Sieves and Their Membranes for Challenging Separations

0930079 Jeong化学和生物分离计划的NSF奖项支持德克萨斯A M大学的Hae-Kwon Jeong教授的工作，以开发创新的温度响应分子筛，其筛目尺寸在普通气体分子的尺度上连续可控，并制造其膜用于高分辨率分离商业上重要的气体分子，特别是丙烯/丙烷。基于金属-有机骨架（MOF）的可调筛目分子筛（MAMS）最近显示出在2.9 μ m至5 μ m的筛目尺寸的显著控制，展示了用于包括丙烯/丙烷混合物的高分辨率气体分离的前所未有的潜力。这些新颖的可调节筛目的分子筛具有通过精确控制筛目尺寸（即，小尺寸差异的气体分子的极高分辨率分离）。这项工作的智力价值是四方面的。首先，这项工作将使PI确定是否可以成功地设计和合成新的可调节网孔的分子筛及其膜，以解决目前用现有膜不可行的分离问题。第二，所提出的合成工作将导致一组真正变革性的可调筛目分子筛。第三，由于其前所未有的网孔尺寸可调性，网孔可调分子筛膜将有可能改变基于动力学的气体分离。第四，拟议的研究将建立在PI？以前的结果：一系列新型的基于金属有机骨架的分子筛，具有前所未有的孔径可控性，以及具有可控微结构的金属有机骨架（MOF）膜的制备/测试。这项工作的广泛影响是四方面的。首先，能够进行丙烯/丙烷分离的膜的开发将导致一种比目前的蒸馏实践低得多的能源密集型技术，从而留下小得多的碳足迹。其次，虽然这项工作的重点是丙烯/丙烷分离，但这里研究的材料将与化学和石化工业面临的其他困难分离有关，例如膜和粉末中的N2/CH 4和n-/i-C4 H10（即，吸附剂）形式。第三，工作的协作性质，跨越有机/无机材料设计和合成，表征，膜制造和测试，将导致一个真正的多学科的研究经验，为学生（两个研究生和一个REU本科生）参与。第四，基于拟议研究的科学视频的教育推广活动开发将通过增加公众对科学和工程的兴趣对K-12教育产生积极影响。

0930079JeongThis NSF award by the Chemical and Biological Separations program supports work by Professor Hae-Kwon Jeong at Texas A&M University to develop innovative temperature-responsive molecular sieves whose mesh sizes are continuously controllable at the scale of common gas molecules and to fabricate their membranes for high resolution separation of commercially important gas molecules, in particular, propene/propane. Mesh-adjustable molecular sieve (MAMS) based on a metal-organic framework (MOF) has recently shown remarkable control of mesh size from 2.9 Å to 5 Å, demonstrating the unprecedented potential for high resolution gas separation including propene/propane mixtures. These novel mesh-adjustable molecular sieves have great potential to transform the current paradigm of kinetic-based membrane separations via precise control of mesh size (i.e., extremely high resolution separation of gas molecules of small size disparity). The intellectual merit of this work is fourfold. First, this work will enable the PIs to determine if the novel mesh-adjustable molecular sieves and their membranes can be successfully designed and synthesized to address separations which are not currently feasible with current membranes. Second, the proposed synthesis work will lead to a set of truly transformative mesh-adjustable molecular sieves. Third, the mesh-adjustable molecular sieve membranes will potentially transform kinetic-based gas separations due to their unprecedented tunability of mesh size. Forth, the proposed research will be built on the PIs? previous results: a series of novel MOF-based molecular sieves with unprecedented controllability of their mesh sizes and fabrication/testing of metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes with controllable microstructure.The broader impacts of this work are fourfold. First, the development of membranes capable of performing propene/propane separation will lead to a technology that is much less energy-intensive than the current practice of distillation, thereby leaving a much smaller carbon footprint. Second, while the focus of this work is propene/propane separation, the materials investigated here will be relevant to other difficult separations facing the chemical and petrochemical industries such as N2/CH4 and n-/i-C4H10 in both membrane and powder (i.e., adsorbent) forms. Third, the collaborative nature of the work, spanning organic/inorganic material design and synthesis, characterization, and membrane fabrication and testing, will lead to a truly multidisciplinary research experience for the students (two graduates and one REU undergraduate) involved. Fourth, the educational outreach activity development of science videos based on the proposed research will positively impact K-12 education by increasing public interest in science and engineering.