Matrimid® 5218 in preparation of membranes for gas separation: Current state-of-the-art

Over the last decades, different polymers have been used as continuous phase for preparing selective membranes for gas separation. Today, some of these materials have been consolidated commercially; however, the necessity to improve the performance (in terms of permeability/selectivity) of polymeric membranes above Robeson’s upper bound has been conducted by blending polymers, use of additives, implementation new methods, development of new materials, coating films, development of mixed matrix membranes, and so on. One of the most recent approaches is the use of polymers such as polyimides, i.e., Matrimid® 5218, which has demonstrated, to provide remarkable gas separation performance using the attempts aforementioned. The aim of this work is to present the current state-of-the-art of the use of Matrimid® 5218 in preparation of membrane for gas separation. The progress in this field is summarized and discussed chronologically in two periods, decade (from 1998 to 2008) and current (from 2009 up to now) frameworks. This contribution leads to take a complete and compelling overview of the state-of-the-art based on Matrimid. Furthermore, the main approaches, aim of study, gas separation evaluated, main techniques used for membrane characterization, main supplier of the polymer, main secondary materials for blending, fillers incorporated into the matrix, and remark of the study are summarized in detail. Finally, it denotes the prospects and future trends on use of Matrimid® 5218 for membrane applications.