Controlling gas diffusion in carbon molecular sieves produced from organic aerogels

Gas separations using carbon molecular sieves (CMS) are important unit processes which depend on controlling, by pore size or surface chemistry tailoring, relative rates of diffusion of mixture components into the micropore structure of the CMS.  In this project we will be focussing on separations of importance for pre- or post-combustion CO2 capture and will determine diffusion coefficients at different temperatures of CH4, N2, O2, H2 and CO2 on CMS of controlled pore size and surface polarity.  CMS will be prepared by modification, using CVD or microwaves, of carbon aerogels prepared from metal containing functionalised resorcinol precursors. CMS with different pore sizes and polarities and containing different metals will be prepared and tested. By the end of the project it is hoped that it will be possible to make available to other researchers candidate CMS, in the form of pellets or tubular monoliths, with properties which are superior to those of current commercial CMS.