Zeolite-templated sub-nanometer carbon nanotube arrays and membranes for hydrogen storage and separation

Adsorbents and membranes consisting of carbon nanotube (CNT) pores with diameters of molecular dimensions are highly desirable for hydrogen storage and selective, high-flux membrane separation. However, fabrication of such materials with precise pore sizes and monodispersity as well as evaluation of the mechanisms associated to adsorption and molecular transport are challenging. Herein, we grew aluminophsphate zeolites (CoAPO-5, AFI crystal structure) consisting of one-dimensional, monodisperse parallel pores with diameter of ～7 Å, and utilized them as templates to grow singe-walled CNTs (SWNTs) inside the pores. The resulting materials were examined as adsorbents and membranes for hydrogen storage and separation, respectively, using single-gas and real mixture feeds. Detailed mechanistic analysis and fundamental investigation of permeance and adsorption behavior of the resulting CNT-in-zeolite systems via combined adsorption, equilibrium, and kinetic studies were carried out. A superior gravimetric hydrogen uptake of 1.2 wt% at 35 °C and 1 bar was achieved in the case of the SWNTs grown in the cobalt-richer AFI host. Permeability measurements were performed on the respective Co(x)APO@SWNT membranes with the Co-richAPO@SWNT membrane exhibiting the highest permeance for all studied gases as a consequence of larger and more densely packed AFI crystals along with higher number of SWNT-filled pores, assets attributed to the higher Co catalyst content. Notably, the produced composite membranes exhibited gas permeability values that were two orders of magnitude higher than what predicted by the Knudsen mechanism.