A water-based mixing process for fabricating ZIF-8/PEG mixed matrix membranes with efficient desulfurization performance

In this article, ZIF-8 nanoparticles were synthesized in water and directly added to a polyethyleneglycol (PEG) aqueous solution (water-based mixing process) to prepare ZIF-8/PEG mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for pervaporation desulfurization. The structure and properties of ZIF-8 particles were characterized by Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and BET analysis. The surface composition and structural morphology of all ZIF-8/PEG MMMs were systematically investigated by FT-IR and SEM. The effect of ZIF-8 content on the pervaporation performance of ZIF-8/PEG membranes was investigated. Versus pure PEG membranes, both the total flux and the sulfur enrichment factor of the ZIF-8/PEG MMMs were remarkably increased. This phenomenon is attributed to the good compatibility between PEG and ZIF-8 particles and the high thiophene selective sorption of ZIF-8 particles (confirmed by molecular simulation). Optimal pervaporation performance was achieved at a 4 wt% loading of ZIF-8 particles with the flux of 1.96 kg/(m2 h) and the sulfur enrichment factor of 8.93. These increased by 397.46% and 18.75% versus pristine PEG membrane, respectively. In addition, the effect of operation temperature and feed sulfur content on membrane performance were also systematically investigated.