Compositions comprising vinylidene fluoride polymers and adsorbent carbon materials

1. A composition used for gas separation or gas purification through adsorption methods, the composition consisting essentially of:

a) a polymer comprising recurring units derived from vinylidene fluoride monomer and at least one monomer carrying at least one functional group selected from carboxyl groups, ester groups and hydroxyl groups, and

b) a microporous adsorbent carbon material having a specific surface area (BET) of from 900 to 1800 m 2 /g, a pore volume in the range of from 0.2 to 0.55 ml/g, at least 60% of said pore volume being formed by micropores having a pore radius of 2 nm or less.

2. The composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the polymer comprises from 0.02 to 20 mol % of recurring units derived from the monomer carrying at least one functional group selected from carboxyl groups, ester groups and hydroxyl groups.

3. The composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least 40 mol % of the recurring units derived from the monomer carrying at least one functional group selected from carboxyl groups, ester groups and hydroxyl groups are randomly distributed.

4. The composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the monomer carrying at least one functional group is selected from (meth)acrylic acid monomers of formula 1

wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 which may be the same or different, independently represents a hydrogen atom or a C 1 -C 3 hydrocarbon group and R 4 is a hydrogen or a C 1 -C 5 hydrocarbon moiety comprising at least one hydroxyl group.

5. The composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the microporous adsorbent carbon material has a specific surface area (BET) of at least 900 m 2 /g.

6. The composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the microporous adsorbent carbon material is a pyrolyzate of a vinylidene chloride polymer.

7. A slurry or liquid dispersion comprising the composition in accordance with claim 1 .

8. The slurry or dispersion in accordance with claim 7 comprising an aqueous or an organic solvent or mixtures thereof.

9. A casting composition comprising the slurry or dispersion in accordance with claim 7 .

10. An adsorbent system comprising a substrate material comprising a surface coating obtained by casting the casting composition in accordance with claim 9 onto the surface of the substrate material and subsequent removal of the solvent.

11. A carbon dioxide capture system, comprising the adsorbent system in accordance with claim 10 .

12. A process for the separation of one or more component or components of a fluid mixture from the fluid mixture, which process comprises adsorption of at least one component of the fluid mixture at a temperature T 1 and a regeneration step at a temperature T 2 which is higher than T 1 wherein the heating from T 1 to T 2 is achieved through ohmic, capacitive or inductive current dissipation in which an adsorbent system is used which comprises a substrate material comprising a surface coating obtained by casting the casting composition in accordance with claim 9 onto the surface of the substrate and subsequent removal of the solvent.

13. A process for separating a component of a fluid mixture from other components of the fluid mixture, the process comprising using the slurry or dispersion in accordance with claim 7 .

14. A process for separating a component of a fluid mixture from other components of the fluid mixture, the process comprising using the coating composition in accordance with claim 1 .

15. The process in accordance with claim 14 wherein the component to be separated is carbon dioxide.

16. A carbon dioxide capture system, comprising the composition in accordance with claim 1 .

17. The carbon dioxide capture system in accordance with claim 16 comprising a pressure swing, temperature swing, vacuum swing system or moving bed contacting system.