Silicon carbide-based membranes with high soot particle filtration efficiency, durability and catalytic activity for CO/HC oxidation and soot combustion

• Mixed oxide/metallic phases and SiC in the same membrane by a reverse microemulsion.
• SiC membranes demonstrated high catalytic activity.
• Activity for CO/HC oxidation and soot combustion was demonstrated.
• Application of SiC-based membranes in environmental and green technologies.

We report here the solution coatings of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) with allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS)-based polymers leading to supported silicon carbide (SiC)-based membranes with high temperature soot particle filtration efficiency, durability and catalytic activity. In a first part of the present study, our objective was to reduce the pore size of DPF to filtrate finer particles without altering filtration efficiency by coating DPF with an additional fine porous AHPCS-derived SiC membrane. The latter is produced by dip-coating AHPCS on DPF following by a pyrolysis of the AHPCS membrane-modified DPF at 1000 °C under argon. We investigated the influence of dip-coating parameters and viscosity of different AHPCS solutions on the SiC membrane-coated DPF by SEM, mercury porosimetry, XRD and high-temperature thermogravimetric analysis. The evolution of the filtration capacity has been determined with a synthetic gas bench. An additional fine SiC membrane (∼150 nm in thickness) prepared from a 10 vol% of AHPCS in THF deposited on DPF allowed maintaining filtration efficiency as high as the virgin DPF while the pore size of the SiC membrane coated-DPF decreased to filter finer particles. Results are confirmed using a commercially-available polysiloxane (Si–C–O precursor). Furthermore, the SiC membrane acted as a thermal barrier coating and provided a better durability to the DPF by preventing apparition of cracks after heat-treatment to 1500 °C under argon. The use of mixed oxide and metallic phases formed in-situ in SiC constitutes one of the solutions to generate new and effective catalytic performances to membranes. Within this context, in a second part of the study, we applied a reverse AHPCS-based microemulsion to combine SiC and oxide phases in the same additional porous membrane. As a proof of concept, we have prepared catalytically active Ce–O–Fe–Pt/SiC membrane coated DPF after dip-coating and pyrolysis under argon. These materials have been characterized and tested with regard to CO/HC oxidation and soot combustion. Ce–O–Fe–Pt/SiC membrane coated DPF showed an activity for CO conversion reaching a light-off temperature T50=270 °C and the presence of the catalytic phase allowed burning soot at 486 °C.

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