Dual-module integration of large-area tubular 2D MXene membranes for H2 purification

Construction of large-area two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet membranes for gas separation, particularly tubular membranes, is extremely challenging. Here, electrophoretic deposition technology was employed to construct large-area tubular 2D MXene membranes for H 2 /CO 2 gas separation, where the membrane with a single tube area of 25 cm 2 could be successfully manufactured in approximately 5 min under optimal process conditions. The membrane exhibited good H 2 /CO 2 separation performance with H 2 /CO 2 selectivity of 53.0 and hydrogen permeance of 133.8 GPU, exceeding the 2008 Robeson upper bound, and showed excellent stability in long-term test with water vapor evaluations for more than 350 h. Additionally, some engineering issues and operation parameters concerning the separation performance of H 2 /CO 2 in single-module and dual-module separators have been thoroughly investigated and analyzed. This work has taken an important step toward the industrialization of 2D MXene membranes and also provided significant guidance to other 2D material-based membranes in approaching practical applications.