Ultra-selective defect-free interfacially polymerized molecular sieve thin-film composite membranes for H <sub>2</sub> purification

Author(s): Z. Ali ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , F. Pacheco ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , E. Litwiller ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Y. Wang ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Y. Han ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , I. Pinnau ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵

Publication date (Electronic): 2018

Journal: Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

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Abstract

Ultrathin, defect-free thin-film polyamide composite membranes developed for H ₂/CO ₂ separation exhibit mixed-gas performance far exceeding all state-of-the-art polymeric membranes.

Abstract

Purification is a major bottleneck in generating low-cost commercial hydrogen. In this work, inexpensive high-performance H ₂ separating membranes were fabricated by modifying the commercially successful interfacial polymerization production method for reverse osmosis membranes. Defect-free thin-film composite membranes were formed demonstrating unprecedented mixed-gas H ₂/CO ₂ selectivity of ≈50 at 140 °C with a H ₂ permeance of 350 GPU, surpassing the permeance/selectivity upper bound of all known polymer membranes by a wide margin. The combination of exceptional separation performance and low manufacturing cost makes them excellent candidates for cost-effective hydrogen purification from steam cracking and similar processes.

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Sustainable hydrogen production.

John A. Turner (2004)

Identifying and building a sustainable energy system are perhaps two of the most critical issues that today's society must address. Replacing our current energy carrier mix with a sustainable fuel is one of the key pieces in that system. Hydrogen as an energy carrier, primarily derived from water, can address issues of sustainability, environmental emissions, and energy security. Issues relating to hydrogen production pathways are addressed here. Future energy systems require money and energy to build. Given that the United States has a finite supply of both, hard decisions must be made about the path forward, and this path must be followed with a sustained and focused effort.