• Membrane Journal
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.312-319
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• 2010

Carbon membrane materials have received considerable attention for the gas separation including hydrocarbon mixture of ingredients of the volatile organic compounds(VOCs) because they possess their higher selectivity, permeability, and thermal stability than the polymeric membranes. The use of activated carbon membranes makes it possible to separate continuously the VOCs mixture by the selective adsorption-diffusion mechanism which the condensable components are preferentially adsorbed in to the micropores of the membrane. The activated carbon hollow fiber membranes with uniform adsorptive micropores on the wall of open pores and the surface of the membranes have been fabricated by the carbonization of a thin film of phenolic resin deposited on porous alumina hollow fiber membrane. Oxidation, carbonization, and activation processing variables were controlled under different conditions in order to improve the separation characteristics of the activated carbon membrane. Properties of activated carbon hollow fiber membranes and the characterization of a gas permeation by pyrolysis conditions were studied. As the result, the activated carbon hollow fiber membranes with good separation capabilities by the molecular size mechanism as well as selective adsorption on the pores surface followed by surface diffusion effective in the recovery hydrocarbons have been obtained. Therefore, these activated carbon membranes prepared in this study are shown as promising candidate membrane for separation of VOCs.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.72-78
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• 1998

For investigation into gas permeation characteristics, the porous alumina membrane with asymmetrical structure, having upper layer with 10 nanometer under of pore diameter and lower layer with 36 nanometer of pore diameter, was prepared by anodic oxidation using DC power supply of constant current mode in an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. The aluminium plate was pre-treated with thermal oxidation, chemical polishing and electrochemical polishing before anodic oxidation. Because the pore size depended upon the electrolyte, electrolyte concentration, temperature, current density, and so on, the the membranes were prepared by controling the current density, as a very low current density for upper layer of membrane and a high current density for lower layer of membrane. By control of current quantity, the thicknesses of upper layer of membranes were about $6{\;}{\mu}m$ and the total thicknesses of membranes were about $80-90{\;}{\mu}m$. We found that the mechanism of gas permeation depended on model of the Knudsen flow for the membrane prepared at each condition.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2012

We prepared the highly ordered nano-wires of polypyrrole, polyaniline conductive polymers and polypyrrole/ polyaniline conductive copolymers by templating the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) porous membrane, in which pore diameter was 20 nm, 100 nm and 200 nm. Those conductive polymers were grown from pore inner surface of AAO membrane forming hollow tubes and then wire structures were formed after 3 hour polymerization. By removing AAO membrane templates using sodium hydroxide solution, the conductive polymer nano-wires were successfully obtained, of which diameter and length were close to the ones of nano-pores in AAO membrane template. Crystallinity and thermal stability of the conductive polymer nano-wires were higher than irregular ones that prepared by solution polymerization. Furthermore, the electrical resistance of conductive polymer nano-wires were reduced by about 4~60% compared with that of the irregular polymers prepared by solution polymerization.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.269-275
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• 2007

Sodium type faujasite(FAU) zeolite membranes with a thickness of 5${\mu}m$ and a Si/Al molar ratio of 1.5 were prepared by the secondary growth process. The $CO_2/N_2$ separation in the vacuum mode was investigated at $30^{\circ}C$ for an equimolar $CO_2-N_2$ mixed gas before and after embedding 13X zeolite beads in the permeate side. The embedded 13X zeolite beads improved both $CO_2$ permeance and $CO_2/N_2$ separation factor, simultaneously. The phenomenon was explained by an increment in the $CO_2$ desorption rate at the FAU zeolite/$\alpha-Al_2O_3$ phase boundary due to an enhanced $CO_2$ escaping through the pore channels of the $\alpha-Al_2O_3$ support layer. In the present paper, it will be emphasized that a hybridization of a membrane with an adsorbent can provide a key to break through the trade-off between permeance and separation factor, generally shown in a membrane separation.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.254-268
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• 2007

Sodium type faujasite(FAU) zeolite layers with diverse materials characteristics(Si/Al ratio, thickness, and structural discontinuity) were hydrothermally grown on a porous $\alpha-Al_2O_3$ tube, and then the $CO_2/N_2$ separation was evaluated at $30^{\circ}C$ for an equimolar mixture of $CO_2$ and $N_2$. Among hydrothermal conditions, $SiO_2$ content in hydrothermal solution seriously affected materials characteristics: with an increment in the $SiO_2$ content, Si/Al ratio, thickness, and structural discontinuity of grown FAU zeolite layer simultaneously increased. The present study reveals that structural discontinuity(intercrystalline voids due to an incomplete densification and cracks induced by GIS Na-P1 phase) is the most important variable affecting the $CO_2/N_2$ separation. Also, it was suggested that the $CO_2$ desorption in permeate side be the rate-determining(slowest) step in the overall $CO_2$ permeation.