Microporous Polymer Membranes for the Separation of Hydrocarbon Mixtures

Jun-Kai Fang; Kang Peng; Xin-Chi Ma; Zheng-Jin Yang; Tong-Wen Xu

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3619-4

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Microporous Polymer Membranes for the Separation of Hydrocarbon Mixtures

REVIEW | Updated：2026-04-30

- Microporous Polymer Membranes for the Separation of Hydrocarbon Mixtures
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 5, Pages: 1307-1329(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  State Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Material Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Author bio：
  
  yangzj09@ustc.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3619-4
  CLC：
- Received：09 January 2026，
  
  Accepted：07 February 2026，
  
  Online First：09 April 2026，
  
  Published：05 May 2026
- Accepted：
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Fang, J. K.; Peng, K.; Ma, X. C.; Yang, Z. J.; Xu, T. W. Microporous polymer membranes for the separation of hydrocarbon mixtures. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1307–1329

Jun-Kai Fang, Kang Peng, Xin-Chi Ma, et al. Microporous Polymer Membranes for the Separation of Hydrocarbon Mixtures[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(5): 1307-1329.
Fang, J. K.; Peng, K.; Ma, X. C.; Yang, Z. J.; Xu, T. W. Microporous polymer membranes for the separation of hydrocarbon mixtures. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1307–1329 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3619-4.

Jun-Kai Fang, Kang Peng, Xin-Chi Ma, et al. Microporous Polymer Membranes for the Separation of Hydrocarbon Mixtures[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(5): 1307-1329. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3619-4.

摘要

Crude oil separation

via

micropores in microporous polymer membranes is illustrated: selective acquisition of lighter compounds from actual crude oil.

Abstract

Crude oil has long been the "black gold" of the global economy

and its fractionation relies on thermal distillation

a highly energy-intensive process. In contrast

crude oil fractionation

via

membrane separation can operate under mild conditions

avoiding phase transitions

and thereby substantially reducing the energy consumption associated with thermal separation processes. Numerous microporous polymer membranes have been developed to target the fractionation of oil mixtures through precise molecular design and structural modulation for the selective separation of hydrocarbon compounds. However

the intrinsic trade-off between permeance and selectivity remains a core bottleneck limiting their advancement. Herein

we summarize the synthetic strategies for microporous polymer membranes

focusing on tailored pore structures

anti-swelling capabilities

and selective transport of hydrocarbon compounds across these membranes. The performance of representative materials for practical crude oil fractionation was also highlighted. We also outline critical unresolved challenges

including cost-efficient large-scale fabrication

long-term stability under harsh crude oil environments

and further optimization of

the permeance-selectivity balance

issues that must be addressed to promote the deployment of microporous polymer membranes.

关键词

Keywords

references

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