• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.304-311
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• 2004

The poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) and silica-filled PTMSP membranes were prepared by casting from a toluene solution on porous polyetherimide (PEI). FT-IR spectrum, GPC and SEM pictures have been taken to characterize the membranes. The particle size of membrane decreases as silica content of the membrane increases from 23 to 60 wt%, and a uniform distribution of the silica is observed. The separation properties of the gas mixture (32 mol% $H_2$/ 68 mol% $N_2$) through the composite membranes were studies as a function of pressure and percentage of silica. Selectivity values of $H_2$/$N_2$ increased as the pressure of permeation cell and silica content of the membrane increased. The real separation factor($\alpha$), head separation factor($\beta$), and tail separation factor((equation omitted)) of PTMSP-PEI composite membrane were 2.28, 1.58, and 1.44 respectively at $\Delta$P 30 psi and $25^{\circ}C$. $\alpha$, $\beta$, and (equation omitted) of PTMSP-Silica-PEI composite membrane for 60 wt% silica were 3.34, 1.95, 1.72 at $\Delta$P 30 psi and $25^{\circ}C$.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.514-521
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• 2010

A new one-shot process was employed to fabricate proton exchange membranes (PEMs) over conventional solvent-casting process. Here, PEMs containing nano-dispersed silica nanoparticles were fabricated using one-shot process similar to the bulk-molding compounds (BMC). Different components such as reactive dispersant, urethane acrylate nonionmer (UAN), styrene, styrene sulfuric acid and silica nano particles were dissolved in a single solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) followed by copolymerization within a mold in the presence of radical initiator. We have successfully studied the water-swelling and proton conductivity of obtained nanocomposite membranes which are strongly depended on the surface property of dispersed silica nano particles. In case of dispersion of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles, the nanocomposite membranes exhibited an increase in water-swelling and a decrease in methanol permeability with almost unchanged proton conductivity compared to neat polymeric membrane. The reverse observations were achieved for hydrophobic silica nanoparticles. Hence, hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica nanoparticles were effectively dispersed in hydrophilic and hydrophobic medium respectively. Hydrophobic silica nanoparticles dispersed in hydrophobic domains of PEMs largely suppressed swelling of hydrophilic domains by absorbing water without interrupting proton conduction occurred in hydrophilic membrane. Consequently, proton conductivity and water-swelling could be freely controlled by simply dispersing silica nanopartilces within the membrane.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 2005

Among ceramic membranes developed to date, amorphous silica membranes are attractive for gas separation at elevated temperatures. Most of the silica membranes can be formed on a porous support by sol-gel or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. To improve gas permselectivity of the membrane, well-controlled pores having desired size and chemical affinity between permeates and membrane become important factors in the preparation of membranes. In this article, we review the literature and introduce our technologies on the microstructure to be solved and pore size control of silica membranes using sol-gel and CVD methods.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.330-337
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• 2005

Water selective silica membranes were prepared fur use as membrane reactor for synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) by methanol dehydration. Silica membranes formed on a Porous SUS tube by ultrasonic spray Pyrolysis (USP) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursor. The CVD-derived membranes formed higher level of trade-off line between water permeance and water/methanol selectivity than that of the USP-derived membranes. The membrane reactor possessing water permeance of $1.2\times10^{-7}\;mol\;{\cdot}\;m^{-2}\;{\cdot}\;S^{-1}\;{\cdot}\;Pa^{-1}$ and water/methanol selectivity of 10 exhibited increase in methanol conversion of about $20\%$ comparing to conventional reactor system. These findings led us to conclude that the dehydration membrane reactor simultaneously separating the water vapour produced in the reaction zone was effective in increasing the reaction conversion.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.44-54
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• 2004

Organic-inorganic composite membranes based on sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone) (sPPES)/silica hybrid were prepared using the sol-gel process under acidic conditions. The sulfonation of PPES with concentrated sulfuric acid as sulfonation agent was carried out to prepare proton exchange membrane material. The behaviors of the proton conductivity and methanol permeability are depended on the sulfonation time (5-100 hr). The hybrid membranes composed of highly sulfonated PPES (IEC value: 1.42 meq./g) and silica were fabricated from different silica content (5-20 wt%) in order to achieve desirable proton conductivity and methanol permeability demanded for fuel cell applications. The silica particles within membranes were used for the purpose of blocking excessive methanol cross-over and for forming the path way to transport of the proton due to absorbing water molecules with ≡SiOH on silica. The presence of silica particles in the organic polymer matrix results in hybrid membranes with reduced methanol permeability and improved proton conductivity.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.317-325
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• 2018

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was modified by silica sol in the coagulation bath during non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process. The effects of silica sol concentrations on the morphology, surface property, mechanical strength and separation property of PVC UF membranes were systematically investigated. PVC membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle goniometry and tensile strength measurement. The results showed that silica had been successfully assembled on the surface of PVC UF membrane. With the increase of silica sol concentration in the coagulation bath, the morphologies of PVC UF membranes changed from cavity structure to finger-like pore structure and asymmetric cross-section structure. The hydrophilicity and permeability of PVC UF membranes were further evaluated. When silica sol concentration was 20 wt.%, the modified PVC membrane exhibited the highest hydrophilicity with a static contact angle of $36.5^{\circ}$ and permeability of $91.8(L{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}h^{-1})$. The structure of self-assemble silica had significant impact on the surface property, morphology, mechanical strength and resultant separation performance of the PVC membranes.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.332-341
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• 2012

We studied the effects of induction of natural convection instability flow (NCIF) according to the gravitational orientation (inclined angle) of the membrane cell on the reduction of membrane fouling in the constant-flow ultrafiltration (UF) of colloidal silica solutions. Five colloidal silica solutions with different silica size (average size = 7, 12, 22, 50 nm and 78 nm) were used as UF test solutions. The silica particles in colloidal solutions form cakes on the membrane surface thereby causing severe membrane fouling. The constant-flow UF performance according to the gravitational orientation of the membrane cell (from $0^{\circ}$ to $180^{\circ}$ inclined angle), was examined in an unstirred dead-end cell. We evaluate the effects of NCIF on the suppression of fouling formation by measuring the variation of transmembrane pressure (TMP) and the increase of critical flux by using the flux-stepping method. In the constant-flow dead-end UF for the smaller size (7, 12 nm and 22 nm) silica colloidal solutions, changing the gravitational orientation (inclined angle) of the membrane cell above the $30^{\circ}$ angle induces NCIF in the membrane module. This induced NCIF enhances back transport of the deposited silica solutes away from the membrane surface, therefore gives for the reduction of TMP. But in the constant-flow UF for the more larger size (50 nm and 78 nm) silica colloidal solutions, NCIF effects are not appearing. The critical flux is increased as increasing the module angle and decreasing the silica size. Those results show that the intesity of NCIF occurrence in membrane module is more higher as increasing the module angle and decreasing the silica size.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.336-339
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• 2006

With the steady depletion off fossil fuel reserves, hydrogen based energy sources become increasingly attractive. Therefore hydrogen production or separation technologies, such as Bas separation membrane based on adsorption technology, have received enormous attention in the industrial and academic fields. In this study, the transport mechanisms of the MTES (methyltriethoxysilane) templating silica/a-alumina composite membrane were evaluated by using unary, binary and quaternary hydrogen gas mixtures permeation experiments at unsteady- and steady-states. Since the permeation flux in the MTES membrane, through the experimental and theoretical study, was affected by molecular sieving effects as well as surface diffusion properties, the kinetic and equilibrium separation should be considered simultaneously in the membrane according to molecular properties. In order to depict the transient multi-component permeation on the templating silica membrane, the GMS (generalized Maxwell-Stefan) and DGM (dust Bas model) were adapted to unsteady-state material balance

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2003

The rejection properties and flux rates of silica nanoparticles in ultrafiltration membranes has been investigated. Cross-flow permeation experiments were conducted using polycarbonate track-etch flat membranes with pore sizes of 30 and 50 nm, and a silica nanoparticle solute with particle sizes of 5 and 18 nm with narrow size distributions. The fluxes and rejection factors were investigated at various particle concentrations, cross-flow velocities, pH, and ionic strengths of solution. Even though the size of the silica nanoparticles was much smaller than that of the membrane pores, the observed rejection rates were very high compared with those for a similar-sized polymer (dextran). The observed rejection rate decreased with increasing ionic strength, which implies that the transport mechanism of the silica nanoparticles is significantly influenced by electrostatic repulsion between particles and membranes.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2000

To improve $CO_2$pemselectivity, a modified silica membrane was prepared by chemical vapor deposition with tetraethoxysilane(TEOS)-ethanol-water, and TEOS-ethanol-water-HCI solution at 300-$600^{\circ}C$. The silica was effectively deposited in the mesopores of a ${\gamma}$-alumina film coated on a porous $\alpha$-alumina tube by evacuating the reactants through the porous wall. In this membrane, $CO_2$interacts, to some extent, with the pore wall, and $CO_2$/$N_2$selectivity then exceeds the value of the Knudsen diffusion mechanism, while the membrane derived from TEOS alone has no $CO_2$selectivity. The silica membrane prepared from TEOS-ethanol-water-HCI solution showed that $CO_2$permeance was $2.5$\times$10^{-7}mol/s^{-1}.m^{-2}.Pa^{-1} at 30{\circ}C$ and $CO_2$/$N_2$selectivity was approximately 3. The $CO_2$permeance and selectivity was improved by enlarging the surface diffusion with modification of chemical affinity of the silica pores.