A novel method for the growth of ZSM-5 zeolite membrane on the surface of stainless steel

Thin ordered micropore ZSM-5 zeolite membrane has formed on the stainless steel surface. The influence of three different pre-treatment methods for the growth of ZSM-5 zeolite membrane on the stainless steel was studied, including mechanical polishing, soaking in a 20 wt.% sulfuric acid aqueous solution and anodic oxidation treatment. It was found that the anodic oxidation technique was more favorable for the growth of ZSM-5 zeolite membrane on the stainless steel surface compared with the other two methods. By this appropriate pre-treatment process, ordered ZSM-5 zeolite membrane was immobilized on the stainless steel surface and it showed good interaction with the stainless steel. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy result indicates that the ZSM-5 zeolite membrane has a Si/Al ratio of 37. X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the crystal structure, specific surface area and morphologies of the ZSM-5 zeolite membrane.