Composite Ni–Ba(Zr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2)O3 membrane for hydrogen separation

Composite membranes consisting of Ni metal and Ba(Zr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2)O3 (or Ni–BZCY7) have been developed for separation of hydrogen from gas mixtures to replace Ni–BCY20 (Ni–BaCe0.8Y0.2O3), which has poor stability in CO2 and H2O-containing atmosphere. Hydrogen fluxes through these cermet membranes were measured as a function of temperature, membrane thickness, and partial pressure of hydrogen in various atmospheres. Results indicated that the Ni–BZCY7 membrane is chemically stable and display high hydrogen permeability. A maximum flux of 0.805 cm3 min−1 cm2 was obtained for a dense cermet membrane of 266-μm-thick at 900 °C using 100% H2 as the feed gas and 100 ppm H2/N2 as the sweep gas. The stable performance of Ni–BZCY7 cermet membrane during exposure to a wet gas containing 30% CO2 for about 80 h indicated that it is promising for practical applications.