Mixed Matrix Membrane for Hydrogen Recovery: Development, Challenges and Future Outlooks

Abstract

Hydrogen is widely seen as a clean and sustainable energy option but extracting and recovering it efficiently still poses significant challenges. In recent years, membrane separation has gained attention as an effective method for purifying hydrogen due to its promising performance and potential for practical application. Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) have gained significant attention among membrane types because of their potential to improve separation performance. This review examines recent progress in innovative MMM materials tailored to enhance hydrogen recovery efficiency. Researchers blend polymers with advanced inorganic fillers like zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and carbon-based materials. The discussion begins with an overview of hydrogen purification and existing MMM technologies. The evolution of material selection and integration of advanced inorganic fillers with compatible polymers was also discussed. This review highlighted the complex interactions between fillers and polymer matrices which play an important role in determining the membrane morphology, stability, and selectivity. Few of MMMs technology separation performance were compared in terms of hydrogen selectivity across various fillers and polymers. Lastly, this work addresses existing challenges such as high temperature, pressure and the presence of contaminants can lead to instability.