Advanced membrane technologies for gas phase separations are a viable option for the energy efficient isolation of CO2 from

1. fossil fuels combustion
2. natural gas wells, and
3. biomass gasification and water gas shift reactions for hydrogen production.

Polymer membranes are particularly well suited for gas separations based on their adaptable chemistry, porosity control, and high processability for formation of optimized geometries. REU students will focus on two aspects of polymer membrane design for CO2 separations: (1) building CO2-philic chemical functionalities into membrane materials to enhance CO2 selectivity and (2) processing of novel polymers into hollow-fiber geometries, which is an optimized geometry for industrial separations. The latter aspect will take advantage of Clemson’s extensive experience in producing hollow fibers from a number of polymers that are difficult to process.