Prospects of nanocomposite membranes for the recovery of hydrogen and production of syngas

Considering the importance of replacing fossil fuel by hydrogen as a clean alternative, and the recent advances in nanotechnology, various studies have investigated nanocomposite membranes for hydrogen separation. These membranes are the combination of nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix. This chapter reviews the development of nanocomposite membranes for hydrogen separation. The investigations indicate that significant progress has been made on various types of metal, zeolite, carbon-based, and MOFs nanofillers. Furthermore, due to the existence of organic linkers in their structure, the MOF nanoparticles have shown good compatibility with various polymer matrices and have been capable of forming uniform structures with exactly tailorable cavity pore sizes. The low cost and enhanced thermal stabilities, permeability, and selectivity made the MOF nanocomposites the best candidates for the hydrogen separation membrane.