Peculiarity of a CO2-philic block copolymer confined in thin films with constrained thickness: “a super membrane for CO2-capture”

Abstract

CO₂-philic block copolymer thin films with constrained thickness, comparable to the polymer radius of gyration (R_g), were examined due to their strange behaviour. The experimental CO₂ permeances for example are almost two-fold higher than those theoretically calculated by the relation between permeance, thickness and permeability. We suggest that the reduction of film thickness towards R_g and the re-organization of the block-copolymer (by using an appropriate substrate) in a constrained nanospace result in a super permeable membrane. This finding may have great implications for the design of smart materials, especially for applications as selective membranes for CO₂-capture.