Prof. Ir. Dr. Yong Wai Fen & Student Publish in Progress in Materials Science
The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Ong Wei Shen, Wilson, and Prof. Ir. Dr. Yong Wai Fen from the Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, on their recent review article "Emerging Innovations in Rubbery Polymeric Membranes for CO2 Separation: A Review" published in Progress in Materials Science, an SCI Q1 journal with the latest impact factor of 33.6.
Ong Wei Shen, Wilson, is an undergraduate student who conducted his final-year project under the supervision of Prof. Ir. Dr. Yong Wai Fen.
This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent innovations in state-of-the-art rubbery polymers for high-performance CO2 separation membranes, which are advancing this technology toward its theoretical limits. Focusing on developments over the past five years, it highlights polymer modifications such as blending, cross-linking, and surface functionalization. Although these strategies remain underexplored, promising results have emerged in CO2-selective mixed matrix membranes incorporating fillers such as Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs), University of Oslo (UiOs), Materials of Institute Lavoisier (MILs), as well as emerging MOF-based and 2D fillers. The common challenges associated with both 2D and 3D fillers have been systematically summarized.
Additionally, the scalability of these technologies - from flat-sheet membranes to thin-film composite hollow fiber membranes - has been discussed, highlighting their potential for energy-efficient, large-scale integration.
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 22108118), the State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Xiamen University (grant number: 2024X32), the Xiamen University Malaysia Research Fund (grant number: XMUMRF/2024-C14/IENG/0073), and Hengyuan International Sdn. Bhd. (grant number: EENG/0003).
The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2025.101454
Graphical Abstract:
A comprehensive discourse on cutting-edge modification paradigms and diverse nanofiller architectures for mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) in rubbery polymeric membranes for CO2 separation applications.
