An Adaptive Self‐Healing Ionic Liquid Nanocomposite Membrane for Olefin‐Paraffin Separations

• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201201832
• Publication Date: 2012-06-21T19:46:15Z
• Authors: Fee Pitsch; Florian F. Krull; Friederike Agel; Peter Schulz; Peter Wasserscheid; Thomas Melin; Matthias Wessling
• Keywords: Propane; Silver; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; Paraffin; Ionic Liquids; Membranes, Artificial; 02 engineering and technology; Alkenes; 0210 nano-technology; Nanocomposites

An adaptive self-healing ionic liquid nanocomposite membrane comprising a multi-layer support structure hosting the ionic salt [Ag](+) [Tf(2) N](-) is used for the separation of the olefin propylene and the paraffin propane. The ionic salt renders liquid like upon complexation with propylene, resulting in facilitated transport of propylene over propane at benchmark-setting selectivity and permeance levels. The contacting with acetylene causes the ionic salt to liquefy without showing evidence of forming explosive silver acetylide.