Synthesis, Annealing and Performance of Pd-Au Asymmetric Composite Membranes for Hydrogen Purification

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2013 · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ie302740f· OSTI ID:1087024

Ma, Yi Hua ^[1]; Chen, Chao-Huang ^[1]; Catalano, Jacopo ^[1]; Guazzone, Federico ^[1]; Payzant, Andrew ^[2]

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1. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), MA
2. ORNL

Composite asymmetric Pd-Au membranes, based on porous Inconel and Hastelloy tubular supports, were prepared by means of electroless deposition and galvanic displacement techniques and tested, before and after Au deposition, in pure H2 atmosphere. The final membranes, with Au average bulk composition up to 16.7 wt%, were 9–15 μm thick and showed, for the entire duration of characterization, H2/He ideal selectivity in excess of 900. The annealing of the as-prepared membranes was conducted through the coating and diffusion mechanism in He and H2 atmospheres at 500 °C. The annealing conditions were chosen after non-isothermal and isothermal HT-XRD studies on coupons synthetized with similar preparation methods. After the formation of the Pd-Au layer, the membranes showed steady flux and a stable Au gradient on the membrane top layer. Comparisons between permeance for Pd/Au and pure Pd membranes indicated that the membranes with an Au average bulk composition of 4.5 and 5.4 wt% had an enhancement, up to 20%, of the H2 permeability in the temperature range 250–450 °C with respect to pure Pd membranes. On the other hand, the membrane having the highest Au composition, 16.7 wt%, even though characterized by a lower H2 permeability (77% of pure Pd) had a rather high surface Au composition (approximately 46 wt%), which might provide good H2S poisoning tolerance.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1087024
• Journal Information: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Journal Name: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research Journal Issue: 26 Vol. 52; ISSN 0888-5885
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Pd-Au alloys
electroless plating
hydrogen separation
membranes