Design and development of highly selective and permeable membranes for H2/CO2 separation—A review

H2/CO2 separation is an essential step to produce clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to sustainable development and addressing climate change challenges. As a promising strategy for carbon capture and hydrogen purification, membrane separation technology has attracted lots of attention due to its simple operation process, efficient and energy-saving characteristics. This paper reviews recent advances in inorganic membranes, organic membranes, mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), and heterostructured membranes for H2/CO2 separation, introduces their characteristics and advantages, and clarifies the optimal using conditions. Key aspects of membrane design such as multiphase design, microstructure control, separation mechanisms, and simple economic evaluation are also summarized. Finally, the main challenges and future research prospects of H2/CO2 separation membrane are proposed, aiming to provide enlightening insights for the development of H2/CO2 separation membranes.