Pore size control and gas permeation kinetics of silica membranes by pyrolysis of phenyl-substituted ethoxysilanes with cross-flow through a porous support wall

The Evaluation of Counter Diffusion CVD Silica Membrane Formation Process by In Situ Analysis of Diffusion Carrier Gas

A new evaluation method for preparing silica membranes by counter diffusion chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was proposed. This is the first attempt to provide new insights, such as the decomposition products, membrane selectivity, and precursor reactivity. The permeation of the carrier gas used for supplying a silica precursor was quantified during the deposition reaction by using a mass spectrometer. Membrane formation processes were evaluated by the decrease of the permeation of the carrier gas derived from pore blocking of the silica deposition. The membrane formation processes were compared for each deposition condition and precursor, and the apparent silica deposition rates from the precursors such as tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), hexyltrimethoxysilane (HTMOS), or tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were investigated by changing the deposition temperature at 400–600 °C. The apparent deposition rates increased with the deposition temperature. The apparent activation energies of the carrier gas through the TMOS, HTMOS, and TEOS derived membranes were 44.3, 49.4, and 71.0 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The deposition reaction of the CVD silica membrane depends on the alkoxy group of the silica precursors.

Gas Separation Silica Membranes Prepared by Chemical Vapor Deposition of Methyl-Substituted Silanes

The effect on the gas permeance properties and structural morphology of the presence of methyl functional groups in a silica membrane was studied. Membranes were synthesized via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at 650 °C and atmospheric pressure using three silicon compounds with differing numbers of methyl- and methoxy-functional groups: tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS), methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS), and dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMOS). The residence time of the silica precursors in the CVD process was adjusted for each precursor and optimized in terms of gas permeance and ideal gas selectivity criteria. Final H₂ permeances at 600 °C for the TMOS-, MTMOS-, and DMDMOS-derived membranes were respectively 1.7 × 10^-7, 2.4 × 10^-7, and 4.4 × 10^-8 mol∙m^-2∙s^-1∙Pa^-1 and H₂/N₂ selectivities were 990, 740, and 410. The presence of methyl groups in the membranes fabricated with the MTMOS and DMDMOS precursors was confirmed via Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. From FTIR analysis, an increasing methyl signal in the silica structure was correlated with both an improvement in the hydrothermal stability and an increase in the apparent activation energy for hydrogen permeation. In addition, the permeation mechanism for several gas species (He, H₂, Ne, CO₂, N₂, and CH₄) was determined by fitting the gas permeance temperature dependence to one of three models: solid state, gas-translational, or surface diffusion.

Organosilica-Based Membranes in Gas and Liquid-Phase Separation

Organosilica membranes are a type of novel materials derived from organoalkoxysilane precursors. These membranes have tunable networks, functional properties and excellent hydrothermal stability that allow them to maintain high levels of separation performance for extend periods of time in either a gas-phase with steam or a liquid-phase under high temperature. These attributes make them outperform pure silica membranes. In this review, types of precursors, preparation method, and synthesis factors for the construction of organosilica membranes are covered. The effects that these factors exert on characteristics and performance of these membranes are also discussed. The incorporation of metals, alkoxysilanes, or other functional materials into organosilica membranes is an effective and simple way to improve their hydrothermal stability and achieve preferable chemical properties. These hybrid organosilica membranes have demonstrated effective performance in gas and liquid-phase separation.

Inorganic Membranes: Preparation and Application for Water Treatment and Desalination

Inorganic membrane science and technology is an attractive field of membrane separation technology, which has been dominated by polymer membranes. Recently, the inorganic membrane has been undergoing rapid development and innovation. Inorganic membranes have the advantage of resisting harsh chemical cleaning, high temperature and wear resistance, high chemical stability, long lifetime, and autoclavable. All of these outstanding properties made inorganic membranes good candidates to be used for water treatment and desalination applications. This paper is a state of the art review on the synthesis, development, and application of different inorganic membranes for water and wastewater treatment. The inorganic membranes reviewed in this paper include liquid membranes, dynamic membranes, various ceramic membranes, carbon based membranes, silica membranes, and zeolite membranes. A brief description of the different synthesis routes for the development of inorganic membranes for application in water industry is given and each synthesis rout is critically reviewed and compared. Thereafter, the recent studies on different application of inorganic membrane and their properties for water treatment and desalination in literature are critically summarized. It was reported that inorganic membranes despite their high synthesis cost, showed very promising results with high flux, full salt rejection, and very low or no fouling.

Postextraction Separation, On-Board Storage, and Catalytic Conversion of Methane in Natural Gas: A Review

In today's perspective, natural gas has gained considerable attention, due to its low emission, indigenous availability, and improvement in the extraction technology. Upon extraction, it undergoes several purification protocols including dehydration, sweetening, and inert rejection. Although purification is a commercially established technology, several drawbacks of the current process provide an essential impetus for developing newer separation protocols, most importantly, adsorption and membrane separation. This Review summarizes the needs of natural gas separation, gives an overview of the current technology, and provides a detailed discussion of the progress in research on separation and purification of natural gas including the benefits and drawbacks of each of the processes. The transportation sector is another growing sector of natural gas utilization, and it requires an efficient and safe on-board storage system. Compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) are the most common forms in which natural gas can be stored. Adsorbed natural gas (ANG) is an alternate storage system of natural gas, which is advantageous as compared to CNG and LNG in terms of safety and also in terms of temperature and pressure requirements. This Review provides a detailed discussion on ANG along with computation predictions. The catalytic conversion of methane to different useful chemicals including syngas, methanol, formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, heavier hydrocarbons, aromatics, and hydrogen is also reviewed. Finally, direct utilization of methane onto fuel cells is also discussed.