Polymeric Membranes Incorporating Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Toxic Gas (VOC) Capture – Applications in Fire Safety and Industrial Filtration

Location

Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Rheology for the Development of Advanced Polymeric Materials
École de Technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Montreal, Canada

Context

Fire incidents and many industrial environments expose workers to toxic gases, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), solvents, and hazardous fumes. Protecting against these contaminants is a major health and safety challenge. Current filtration materials are often heavy, poorly selective, and exhibit limited breathability, which reduces both their effectiveness and user comfort.

In this context, developing next-generation filtration membranes is essential. Nanofibrous membranes produced by electrospinning or blow spinning offer a significant advantage: their fibrous structure provides an extremely high specific surface area and controlled porosity, enabling more efficient capture of toxic compounds while maintaining excellent air permeability.

At the same time, next-generation adsorbent materials—particularly Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs)—have seen remarkable development in recent years. Thanks to their exceptionally high surface area, tunable porosity, and the possibility of chemically functionalizing their active sites, MOFs provide outstanding adsorption capacity and selectivity toward a wide range of VOCs and toxic gases. 

PhD Objectives

This project aims to develop ultra-lightweight, highly selective, and high-performance nanofibrous membranes integrating MOFs within polymer matrices, in order to combine physical filtration and chemical adsorption for efficient capture of VOCs and toxic gases.

Research Plan

The PhD candidate will:

1. Improve and optimize a blow spinning system available in the laboratory

2. Optimize the fabrication of polymer fibers following the selection of suitable polymers

3. Synthesize MOFs

4. Integrate MOFs into the fibers

5. Develop high-performance filtration membranes

6. Evaluate VOC and solvent capture performance

Research Environment

During this PhD, the student will develop strong expertise in process engineering, materials science, and functional performance evaluation of advanced filtration systems, with a particular focus on personal protection in extreme environments. The candidate will also acquire highly valuable skills in equipment design and process scale-up, formulation of functional polymeric materials, integration of nanomaterials such as MOFs, and advanced characterization techniques (rheology, morphology, mechanical and transport properties).

The project will provide comprehensive training in innovation and technology transfer, including opportunities to collaborate closely with industrial partners, contribute to patent applications, and publish results in high-impact scientific journals. The student will evolve in a dynamic research environment that promotes autonomy, creativity, and the development of transferable skills in project management, scientific communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The PhD candidate will join the Canada Research Chair in Polymer Rheology, an internationally recognized research environment known for excellence in advanced rheology, functional polymeric materials, additive manufacturing and membrane development, as well as nanocomposites and MOFs. The Chair is supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, including advanced rheometry, polymer processing platforms (extrusion, additive manufacturing, electrospinning), and comprehensive characterization tools. It benefits from strong industrial collaborations in energy, transportation, and advanced materials, as well as international academic partnerships across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The supervision is multidisciplinary and provides a stimulating scientific environment focused on innovation and technology transfer.