A Novel Poly(4‐methyl‐2‐pentyne)/TiO₂ Hybrid Nanocomposite Membrane for Natural Gas Conditioning: Butane/Methane Separation

Abstract

Abstract Poly(4‐methyl‐2‐pentyne) (PMP)/TiO 2 hybrid nanocomposite membranes have been investigated for natural gas conditioning. Tailor‐made PMP with 35% cis ‐content was identified as an attractive material to prepare nanocomposite membranes; it presented good stability towards organic vapors and optimal properties for butane/methane separation. The PMP/TiO 2 hybrid nanocomposite membranes presented an improvement of butane permeability and butane/methane selectivity. The addition of TiO 2 nanoparticles to the PMP enhanced the selectivity more effectively than fumed‐silica, and it is attractively higher than those currently reported in the open literature. magnified image