Preparation and characterization of BaCe0.95Tb0.05O3−α hollow fibre membranes for hydrogen permeation

BaCe0.95Tb0.05O3−α (BCTb) perovskite hollow fibre membranes were fabricated by spinning the slurry mixture containing 66.67 wt% BCTb powder, 6.67 wt% polyethersulphone (PESf) and 26.67 wt% N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) followed by sintering at elevated temperatures. The influence of sintering temperature on the membrane properties was investigated in terms of crystal phase, morphology, porosity and mechanical strength. In order to obtain gas-tight hollow fibres with sufficient mechanical strength, the sintering temperature should be controlled between 1350 and 1450 °C. Hydrogen permeation through the BCTb hollow fibre membranes was carried out between 700 and 1000 °C using 50% H2–He mixture as feed on the shell side and N2 as sweep gas in the fibre lumen. The measured hydrogen permeation flux through the BCTb hollow fibre membranes reached up to 0.422 μmol cm−2 s−1 at 1000 °C when the flow rates of the H2–He feed and the nitrogen sweep were 40 mL min−1 and 30 mL min−1, respectively.