An Efficient Polymer Molecular Sieve for Membrane Gas Separations

Abstract

Bicyclic Bridge to Improvement: Polymers of intrinsic microporosity are a recently developed class of contorted rigid glassy ladderlike polymers having very high free volume (open internal spaces). The intrinsic porosity of these materials has made them of interest for ultrahigh permeability gas separation membranes. However, while the polymers show good gas permeability, they have only moderate gas selectivity. Carta et al. (p. 303 ; see the Perspective by Guiver and Lee ) hypothesized that if they could replace the dioxin-like rings in their polymers with stiffer bridged bicyclic rings, they could improve the membrane properties of the polymer. By exploiting reactions connected to the formation of Tröger's base to form the multiple covalent bonds needed to make the bicyclic rings, the resulting polymers showed significantly improved selectivity and permeability.