Preparation of dense composite membrane with Ba-cerate conducting oxide and rapidly solidified Zr-based alloy

Hydrogen separation with dense ceramic membranes is non-galvanic, i.e. it does not require any electrode or an external power supply to drive the separation, and the hydrogen selectivity is almost 100% because the membrane contains no interconnected porosity. In this study, a mixed proton-electron conducting perovskite made from BaCe0.9Y0.1O3-δ (BCYO) was prepared using a solid–state reaction, whereas a rapidly solidified Zr-based alloy (RSZ) was obtained via a melt-spinning process at a specified cooling rate. Finally, the BCYO/RSZ composite membrane was successfully fabricated by aerosol deposition (AD) at room temperature. The powders and composite membranes were characterized by high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD), particle size analysis (PSA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray elemental mapping (XRM). The hydrogen permeability of the dense BCYO/RSZ composite membrane was measured with the change of temperature. Under a pure hydrogen atmosphere at 773 K–1073 K, the BCYO/RSZ composite membrane exhibited higher permeability compared with the sole BCYO membrane over the entire investigated temperature range.

► Nano-sized, dense BaCe0.9Y0.1O3−δ (BCYO)/Rapidly-solidified Zr-based alloy (RSZ) composite membrane obtained using aerosol-deposition method.
► Uniform distribution of various elements such as Ba, Ce, Y, O, Zr, Ti, Cr, V and Mn within BCYO/RSZ composite membrane.
► BCYO/RSZ composite membrane exhibited higher permeability compared with the sole BCYO membrane over the entire investigated temperature range.