Amine‐functionalized CuBTC/poly(ether‐b‐amide‐6) (Pebax® MH 1657) mixed matrix membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

CuBTC and NH2‐CuBTC metal organic frameworks (MOF) were used to produce mixed matrix membranes (MMM) with a block copolymer of poly(ether‐b‐amide‐6) (Pebax® MH 1657) as the polymer matrix to investigate the effect of amine functionalized group (–NH2) on the CO2/CH4 gas separation performance of the MMM. The MOF were fully characterized by XRD, FTIR‐ATR, TGA, N2, CO2, and CH4 adsorption, while the MMM were characterized using FTIR‐ATR, TGA, DSC, and SEM. Permeability and selectivity of the MMM were studied at different MOF mass contents (5 to 20 g/g) and feed pressures (0.3 to 1.5 MPa) for pure and mixed gases. The CO2 permeability for 20 g/g of both Pebax/CuBTC and Pebax/NH2‐CuBTC MMMs was nearly twice that of the neat polymeric membrane, while the presence of amine functionalized group in NH2‐CuBTC produced an increasing trend of CO2/CH4 ideal selectivity at high NH2‐CuBTC loading and about a 60 % increase was observed at 20 g/g of NH2‐CuBTC.