Effect of synthesis conditions on performance of a hydrogen selective nano-composite ceramic membrane

A hydrogen-selective nano-composite ceramic membrane was prepared by depositing a dense layer composed of SiO2 and Al2O3 on top of a graded multilayer substrate using co-current chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The multilayer substrate was made by dip-coating a macroporous α-alumina tubular support by a series of boehmite solutions to get a graded structure. Using DLS analysis, it was concluded that decreasing hydrolysis time and increasing acid concentration lead to smaller particle size of boehmite sols. XRD analysis was carried out to investigate the structure of intermediate layer and an optimized calcination temperature of 973 K was obtained. SEM images indicated the formation of a graded membrane with a porous intermediate layer having a thickness of about 2 μm and a dense top selective layer with a thickness of 80–100 nm. Permeation tests showed that H2 permeance flux decreased from 5 × 10−5 mol m−2 s−1 Pa−1 for a fresh substrate to 6.30 × 10−7 mol m−2 s−1 Pa−1 after 6 h of deposition, but H2 selectivity over N2 increased considerably from 5.6 to 203.

► Silica–alumina nano-composite membrane was prepared by CVD Method. ► Effect of synthesis parameters on membrane performance was investigated. ► A multilayer structure with a top selective layer of 80–100 nm was obtained. ► High H2/N2 selectivity about 203 was achieved.