Industrial decarbonization through CO₂ capture has become a central focus of international efforts to effectively address climate change. One particularly relevant solution to this challenge lies in the use of gas-liquid membrane contactors operated with hollow fiber configuration, which offer a promising alternative to traditional packed columns for small- to medium-scale applications. These devices possess exceptionally high specific surface areas, enabling enhanced mass transfer with high transfer coefficients, simplified deployment, and a significant reduction in the environmental footprint of capture installations. In these innovative systems, porous composite hollow fiber membranes are employed, coated with a thin, dense, and homogeneous polymer layer. This thin polymer coating plays a critical role by minimizing pore wetting phenomena, which represent a major limitation in such systems.
Based on preliminary results obtained during a Master’s internship, the main objective of the postdoctoral project will be to synthesize new polymer materials to be used as surface coatings for the hollow fiber membranes. In addition to the synthesis of the new polymers and their characterization using various techniques (FTIR, NMR, SEC, DSC, TGA, SEM, XRD, etc.), this work will also involve developing conditions for elaborating homogeneous thin polymer films with precise control over their thickness on flat substrates, prior to their coating onto hollow fibers. In parallel, the CO₂ permeation properties of the newly developed polymer materials will be evaluated using a gas permeation setup.
