Fabrication and characterization of poly(phenylene oxide)/SBA-15/carbon molecule sieve multilayer mixed matrix membrane for gas separation

A novel multilayer mixed matrix membrane (MMM), consisting of poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO), large-pore mesoporous silica molecular sieve zeolite SBA-15, and a carbon molecular sieve (CMS)/Al₂O₃ substrate, was successfully fabricated using the procedure outlined in this paper. The membranes were cast by spin coating and exposed to different gases for the purpose of determining and comparing the permeability and selectivity of PPO/SBA-15 membranes to H₂, CO₂, N₂, and CH₄. PPO/SBA-15/CMS/Al₂O₃ MMMs with different loading weights of zeolite SBA-15 were also studied. This new class of PPO/SBA-15/CMS/Al₂O₃ multilayer MMMs showed higher levels of gas permeability compared to PPO/SBA-15 membranes. The permselectivity of H₂/N₂ and H₂/CH₄ combinations increased remarkably, with values at 38.9 and 50.9, respectively, at 10 wt% zeolite loading. Field emission scanning electron microscopy results showed that the interface between the polymer and the zeolite in MMMs was better at a 10 wt% loading than other loading levels. The increments of the glass transition temperature of MMMs with zeolite confirm that zeolite causes polymer chains to become rigid.     

Low-temperature Cu/Zn/SBA-16 integrating carbon membrane reactor for hydrogen production and high CO conversion through water-gas shift reaction

The increasing demand for H₂ energy has led to a great amount of research being conducted in a membrane reactor (MR), in which a membrane is applied during the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. In this study, Cu/Zn/SBA-16 WGS catalysts and carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes were integrated into CMS MRs. To improve the CO conversion and H₂ yield, C MRs were investigated, and different steam/CO (S/C) ratios were used to evaluate the conversion performance. In this study, a tubular CMS membrane was used as the membrane material for a MR. The as-prepared CMS membrane exhibited excellent selectivity of 185.64 for H₂ and CO₂ mixed gas, and an ideal H₂ permeability of 9.7 × 10^?9 mol m^?2 s^?1 Pa^?1 when operated under low temperature/pressure conditions (300 °C/3 bar). The Cu/Zn/SBA-16 catalyst synthesized via coprecipitation was used in the WGS reaction. With a relatively low reaction temperature of 300 °C, 2500 h^?1 gas hourly space velocity, and S/C equal to 1.5, the CO conversion efficiency of MR could reach up to 99%, and the recovery of H₂ was approximately 76%. However, as the S/C increased to 2, the H₂ recovery increased to 99%, whereas the CO conversion decreased to 89% because of the water vapor adsorbed on the active site. The hydrophobic Si/C-modified membrane was further synthesized and showed outstanding performance in CO conversion of over 99% with S/C equal to 2.     

High proton-conducting Nafion/–SO3H functionalized mesoporous silica composite membranes

A novel organic–inorganic mesoporous silica (L64 copolymer-templated mesoporous SiO₂), functionalized with perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid groups analogous to that of Nafion^®, was prepared. A condensation reaction between the surface silanol groups of the mesoporous silicas and 1,2,2-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-1-trifluoromethylethane sulfonic acid Beta-sultone was conducted. High proton-conducting Nafion^®/functionalized mesoporous silica composite membranes were prepared via homogeneous dispersive mixing and the solvent casting method. In this investigation, the proton conductivity (σ) of the composite membrane is increased from 0.10 to 0.12 (S cm⁻¹) as the modified mesoporous silica content is increased from 0 to 3 wt%. The methanol permeability of the composite membrane declined as the sulfonic mesoporous silica content increased. The methanol permeability of the composite membrane that contained 3 wt% M–SiO₂–SO₃H was 4.5 × 10⁻⁶ cm² S⁻¹—30% lower than that of pristine Nafion^®. Results of this study demonstrate a significant improvement in the performance of DMFCs.     

Phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole based polymer electrolyte membrane and functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous for elevated temperature fuel cell

Polymer electrolyte membrane as heart of a Fuel Cell electrochemical system to improve the durability of Fuel Cell performance at elevated temperatures requires the highest stability of proton conductivity, and thermal and chemical stability in long-term operations. In this research, the effect of SBA-15 mesoporous on the properties of H₃PO₄ doped polybenzimidazole/ionic liquid membranes were investigated for Fuel Cell applications under elevated temperatures. The H₃PO₄ doped polybenzimidazole based membranes were successfully fabricated by using polybenzimidazole (PBI) polymer with the same molecular weight and different amounts of 1,6-di (3-methylimidazolium) hexane dibromide dicationic ionic liquid (Mim₂⁺ Br₂⁻ DIL), pure SBA-15 mesoporous and functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous with polyamidoamine groups (PAMAM mesoporous).The H₃PO₄ doped composite membrane containing 7% w/w Mim₂⁺ Br₂⁻ DIL and 2% w/w PAMAM mesoporous with a superior mechanical strength and high thermal and chemical stability indicate a best electrochemical performance at 180 °C and 0.50 V under anhydrous conditions. The high proton conductivity stability of the composite membranes under elevated temperature and high humidity indicates that the introduction of PAMAM mesoporous with the NH₂, NH and CO groups on the inner wall of its pores significantly improves the ability to retain of Mim₂⁺ Br₂⁻ DIL and H₃PO₄. The results imply that use of PAMAM mesoporous as Mim₂⁺ Br₂⁻ DIL and H₃PO₄ protectors against their leaching from the composite membrane is a new strategy to improve the stability of elevated temperature Fuel Cells performance in long-term operation.     

Pre-activation of SBA-15 intermediate barriers with Pd nuclei to increase thermal and mechanical resistances of pore-plated Pd-membranes

Thermal and mechanical resistances of palladium composite membranes prepared by Electroless Pore-Plating (ELP-PP) and containing SBA-15 as intermediate layer were improved by doping the silica material with Pd nuclei before its incorporation on the composite membrane. Textural properties of synthesized SBA-15 materials (both raw and doped ones) were analyzed by XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption at 77 K and TEM, while the main properties of the composite membrane were determined by SEM and gravimetric analyses. Moreover, membrane permeation tests were also carried out with pure gases, hydrogen and nitrogen, and binary mixtures of them at temperature of 400 °C and pressure driving forces in the range of 0.5–2.5 bar. The use of bare SBA-15 intermediate layer leads to the appearance of cracks on the Pd layer during permeation experiments at high temperature. In contrast, the use of Pd-doped SBA-15 particles avoids this problem, thus improving both thermal and mechanical resistances of the composite ELP-PP Pd-membrane. Following this preparation method, an estimated Pd thickness of 7.1 μm was obtained, reaching a hydrogen permeance of 3.81·10^?4 mol s^?1 m^?2 Pa^?0.5 and ensuring an ideal H₂/N₂ separation factor higher than 2550 at 400 °C.     

Lithium ion conducting PVdF-HFP composite gel electrolytes based on N-methoxyethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)-imide ionic liquid

Blends of PVdF-HFP and ionic liquids (ILs) are interesting for application as electrolytes in plastic Li batteries. They combine the advantages of the gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) swollen by conventional organic liquid electrolytes with the nonflammability, and high thermal and electrochemical stability of ILs.In this work we prepared and characterized PVdF-HFP composite membranes swollen with a solution of LiTFSI in ether-functionalized pyrrolidinium-imide ionic liquid (PYRA_12O1TFSI). The membranes were filled in with two different types of silica: (i) mesoporous SiO₂ (SBA-15) and (ii) a commercial nano-size one (HiSil™ T700). The ionic conductivity and the electrochemical properties of the gel electrolytes were studied in terms of the nature of the filler.The thermal and the transport properties of the composite membranes are similar. In particular, room temperature ionic conductivities higher than 0.25 mS cm⁻¹ are easily obtained at defined filler contents. However, the mesoporous filler guarantees higher lithium transference numbers, a more stable electrochemical interface and better cycling performances. Contrary to the HiSil™-based membrane, the Li/LiFePO₄ cells with PVdF-HFP/PYRA_12O1TFSI-LiTFSI films containing 10 wt% of SBA-15 show good charge/discharge capacity, columbic efficiency close to unity, and low capacity losses at medium C-rates during 180 cycles.     

A novel membrane for DMFC - Na2Ti3O7 nanotubes/Nafion composite membrane

In this study, novel sodium titanate (Na₂Ti₃O₇) nanotube/Nafion^® composite membranes were prepared by a solution casting method. The properties of these composite membranes were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the water uptake, methanol permeability, proton conductivity, and selectivity of the composite membranes were measured to evaluate the applicability of these membranes in DMFCs. It was found that the addition of Na₂Ti₃O₇ nanotubes enhanced the water uptake and reduced the methanol permeability of the composite membranes. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability depend on the Na₂Ti₃O₇ nanotube content. Using the selectivity, the optimal nanotube contents was found to be 5 wt%. The new composite membrane was found to have significantly higher selectivity than a pure Nafion^® membrane and thus has good potential to outperform Nafion^® in DMFCs.     

CO2-selective membranes for hydrogen purification and the effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on its gas separation performance

Industrial hydrogen production may prefer CO₂-selective membranes because high-pressure H₂ can therefore be produced without additional recompression. In this study, high performance CO₂-selective membranes are fabricated by modifying a polymer–silica hybrid matrix (PSHM) with a low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME). The liquid state of PEGDME and its unique end groups eliminate the crystallization tendency of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The methyl end groups in PEGDME hinder hydrogen bonding between the polymer chains and significantly enhance the gas diffusivity. In pure gas tests, the membrane containing 50 wt% additive shows CO₂ gas permeability and CO₂/H₂ selectivity of 1637 Barrers and 13 at 35 °C, respectively. In order to explore the effect of real industrial conditions, the gas separation performance of the newly developed membranes has been studied extensively using binary (CO₂/H₂) and ternary gas mixtures (CO₂/H₂/carbon monoxide (CO)). Compared to pure gas performance, the second component (H₂) in the binary mixed gas test reduces the CO₂ permeability. The presence of CO in the feed gas stream decreases both CO₂ and H₂ permeability as well as CO₂/H₂ selectivity as it reduces the concentration of CO₂ molecules in the polymer matrix. The mixed gas results affirm the promising applications of the newly developed membranes for H₂ purification.     

Thermally rearranged (TR) HAB-6FDA nanocomposite membranes for hydrogen separation

Thermally rearranged (TR) polymers exhibited a good balance of high permeability and high selectivity. For this purpose HAB-6FDA polyimide was synthesized from 3,3 dihydroxy-4,4-diamino-biphenyl (HAB) and 2,2-bis-(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoro propane dianhydride (6FDA) by chemical imidization. Initially, the sample was modified from pure polymer to silica nanofiller doped polymer membrane. Further the modification was done by thermal rearrangement reaction at 350 °C temperature. This modification causes a mass loss in polymer structure and therefore enhances the fractional free volume (FFV). The gases used for the permeation test were H₂, CO₂, N₂ and CH₄. Selectivity was calculated for H₂/CO₂, H₂/N₂ and H₂/CH₄ gas pairs and plotted in the Robeson's 2008 upper bound and compared with reported data. The transport properties of these gases have been compared with the unmodified membrane. Permeability of all the gases has increased to that of unmodified polymer membrane. Thermally rearranged polymer nanocomposite exhibits higher gas permeability than that of silica doped and pure polymer. Also the selectivity for H₂/CO₂ and H₂/N₂ gas pairs exceeds towards Robeson's upper bound limit. It crosses this limit dramatically for H₂/CH₄ gas pair. Polymer nanocomposite can be utilized to obtain high purity hydrogen gas for refinery and petrochemical applications.     

The effect of relative humidity on the gas permeability and swelling in PFSI membranes

The permeation of helium, oxygen and nitrogen in perfluorosulphonic acid ionomeric (PFSI) membranes with short and long side chains, namely Aquivion^® and Nafion^® 117, was studied in the relative humidity range between 0 and 90%, and at temperatures between 35 °C and 65 °C. The presence of humidity enhances, up to a factor of 100, the gas permeability in the membranes, due to the permeation of gas molecules in the hydrophilic domains: the enhancement is rather pronounced for O₂ and N₂, and less marked for He permeability. The relative permeability increase, P_gas/P_gas,0, shows a complex dependence on the relative humidity, as the water content in the membrane is itself a non linear function of this parameter. The water volume fraction in the membrane at each activity was accurately estimated from measurements of vapor-induced swelling, which indicate that the partial molar volume of water is smaller than its pure liquid value, in both membranes at 35 °C. When plotted against water volume fraction, the gas permeability increases exponentially in the range between 2% and 20%; the slope of the curve is higher for Nafion^® than for Aquivion^®, as it is reasonable due to their different microstructures. The ideal selectivity of the two membranes for He over N₂, O₂ over N₂ and He over O₂, decreases markedly with increasing water content in the membrane.     

Enhancing hydrogen gas separation performance of thin film composite membrane through facilely blended polyvinyl alcohol and PEBAX

Polymeric membranes offer economic separation processes but are less explored for H₂ separation application. This work aims to unveil the H₂ separation potential of polymeric membrane by developing PVA-based reverse selective composite membrane. CO₂-selective PEBAX was blended at different PVA:PEBAX ratio. The effect of PEBAX blending on membrane morphology, crystallinity and gas separation behavior was studied. Incorporation of PEBAX at <50 wt% resulted in composite with improved CO₂ permeability but selectivity loss. Blending of >60 wt% PEBAX enhanced both permeance and selectivity of the resulted composite as the host matrix was dominated by this PEO containing material thus greatly enhancing polymer chain mobility and promoting CO₂-solubility. The best composite which contains 60 wt% PEBAX exhibited CO₂ permeability of 20.0 Barrer and CO₂/H₂ selectivity of 7.6. This performance surpasses the Robeson's boundary and unleashes the potential of tailoring the properties of polymeric nanocomposite membrane for H₂ separation application through facile PVA/PEBAX blending.     

Active block copolymer layer on carboxyl-functionalized PET film for hydrogen separation

To rationalize the energy requirements and environmental complications of the world, supply of pure hydrogen is the most promising as well best possible approach of such issues. Purified hydrogen gas is the necessity factor for the hydrogen-based economy. Hydrogen perm-selective membrane plays a crucial role for producing a large amount of hydrogen. Palladium is one of the best materials because of its excellent affinity to absorb hydrogen. In present work, our aim to improve selectivity as well permeability of the H₂ gas compare to N₂ and CO₂ gases of the block copolymer coated functionalized porous PET membrane. Porous polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes having pore size 0.2 μm, functionalized with a carboxyl group. The supramolecular assembly was prepared from PS (35500)-b- P4VP (4400) and 2-(4- Hydroxyphenylazo) benzoic acid (HABA) in 1, 4-dioxane. Chemically synthesized palladium nanoparticles were deposited on carboxylated block copolymer (BC) coated porous PET membrane. It is an appropriate way to use H₂ sensitive materials with block copolymer coated functionalized membranes to enhance the selectivity of H₂. It has been found that such membranes gain better permeability and selectivity towards H₂ as compared with N₂ and CO₂. Increment with the dipping time of these membranes in the palladium nanoparticle solution, permeability as well selectivity of H₂ over N₂, CO₂ increases as the more attachment of Palladium nanoparticles. A fine active layer of block copolymer on the carboxyl functionalized PET membrane play a crucial role for hydrogen based gas separation. The magnitude of the permeability of such membranes for different gases shows dependency on the pore size of the upper layer (BC coated) of the membrane in addition to the molecule size of the permeating gas. Block copolymer coating of the membranes established an effective responsibility for the selectivity of H₂ over CO₂ gas as well over N₂ gas.     

Carbon molecular sieve membranes supported on non-modified ceramic tubes for hydrogen separation in membrane reactors

Supported carbon membranes have been regarded as more competitive than traditional gas separation materials due to the versatile combination of different pyrolyzable polymers and supports which in turn leads to high separation factors and mechanical stability. In order to determine the extent to which supported carbon membranes are more competitive, the transport mechanism of supported carbon membranes was investigated in the range 32–150 °C and 1–2.5 bar. Polyimide (Matrimid 5218) material was coated and pyrolyzed under N₂ atmosphere on TiO₂-ZrO₂ macroporous tubes (Tami) that had not been structurally modified in any way. The supported carbon membrane was studied to determine its permeation for low molecular weight gases such as H₂, CH₄, CO, N₂ and CO₂. For these gases, the permeance of the composite supported carbon membranes obtained after pyrolysis at 550 °C increased with inverse square root of molecular weight. The temperature dependence of the permeance was described using an Arrhenius law with the negative activation energies for hydrogen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen providing evidence of a non-activated process. The ideal separation selectivity computed from single gas measurements leads to values slightly lower than the Knudsen because of the influence of viscous flow. The coexistence of more than one transport mechanism in the composite membrane was confirmed. After plugging the possible defects with Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), the supported carbon membranes obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 650 °C showed evidence of a molecular sieving mechanism. This paper shows the separation properties of a crack-free supported carbon membrane obtained using a simple fabrication method that does not require modification of the mesoporous support. The permeance and selectivity values were compared with those of other hydrogen selective materials. Finally, the membranes were applied to methanol steam reforming (MSR).     

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic performance of MgO-coated Ni/SBA-15 catalysts for methane dry reforming to syngas and hydrogen

A series of MgO-coated SBA-15 mesoporous silica with MgO contents ranging from 2 wt% to 15 wt% have been successfully synthesized by a simple one-pot synthesis method and further impregnated with 10 wt% Ni. Ni/SBA-15 modified with 8 wt% MgO was also prepared by conventional impregnation method. The materials were characterized by means of XRD, N₂ physisorption, TEM by applying high-angle annular dark field (HAADF), XPS, CO₂-TPD, TGA and temperature-programmed hydrogenation (TPH) techniques, and their catalytic performance was tested for methane reforming with CO₂. The results showed that MgO was successfully coated on the walls of mesoporous silica and the mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was well maintained after MgO modification. Compared to MgO-impregnated material, MgO-coated counterpart showed a better order in the mesostructure and more medium basic sites. The addition of MgO enhanced initial catalytic activity of Ni/SBA-15, and the catalyst with 8 wt% MgO coating showed the most excellent catalytic activity. The MgO coating induced an improved dispersion of Ni species and larger medium basic sites than that of MgO impregnation, which led to an enhanced long-term stability and resistance to carbon formation. The deposition of graphitic carbon species during the reaction was the main reason for the deactivation of Ni/SBA-15 catalyst.     

Sulfonated SBA-15 mesoporous silica-incorporated sulfonated poly(phenylsulfone) composite membranes for low-humidity proton exchange membrane fuel cells: Anomalous behavior of humidity-dependent proton conductivity

Sulfonated SBA-15 mesoporous silica (SM-SiO₂)-incorporated sulfonated poly(phenylsulfone) (SPPSU) composite membranes are fabricated for potential application in low-humidity proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The SM-SiO₂ particles are synthesized using tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) as a mechanical framework precursor, Pluronic 123 triblock copolymer as a mesopore-forming template, and mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as a sulfonation agent. A distinctive feature of the SM-SiO₂ particles is the long-range ordered 1-D skeleton of hexagonally aligned mesoporous cylindrical channels bearing sulfonic acid groups. Based on a comprehensive characterization of the SM-SiO₂ particles, the effect of SM-SiO₂ (as a functional filler) addition on the proton conductivity of the SPPSU composite membrane is examined as a function of temperature and relative humidity. An intriguing finding is that the proton conductivity of the SPPSU composite membrane exhibits a strong dependence on the relative humidity of measurement conditions. This anomalous behavior is further discussed with an in-depth consideration of the characteristics and dispersion state of SM-SiO₂ particles, which affect the tortuous path for proton movement, water uptake, and state of water. Notably, at low-humidity conditions, the SM-SiO₂ particles in the SPPSU composite membrane serve as an effective water reservoir to tightly retain water molecules and also as a supplementary proton conductor, whereas they behave as a barrier to proton transport at fully hydrated conditions.     

Hydrogen separation performance of CMS membranes derived from the imide-functional group of two similar types of precursors

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes derived from polyimide (PI) and polyetherimide (PEI), which have similar functional groups were fabricated for gas separation. To evaluate the effect of the functional groups of PI and PEI on the properties of their CMS membranes, the composition of the casting solution and carbonization temperatures were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were employed to characterize thermal stability, functional groups and microstructural change in the derived CMS membrane. The gas permeation performance of the CMS membranes were estimated using four gases: hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane. The results show that CC stretching in imides exhibit an intense absorption peak at 1665 cm⁻¹ with PI dominating the insignificant degradation of the imide groups at the intermediate stage. For PEI, the absorption peaks of CN stretching and C-C-C bending were intense at 1011 and 1068 cm⁻¹ respectively, dominating the ethers and cyclic ethers of asymmetric stretching. The microstructure and gas permeation properties of the obtained CMS membranes were significantly affected by the functional group of precursors and their concentrations in the casting solution. Optimized performance for hydrogen permeation (565 Barrer) [1 Barrer = 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ (STP) cm/(cm² s cmHg)] was obtained with PI-10-600 CMS membrane. The best selectivity for H₂/N₂ at 33.2 was obtained from PI-10-500 CMS membrane.     

Hydrogen separation and purification using crosslinkable PDMS/zeolite A nanoparticles mixed matrix membranes

The transport properties of gases in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/zeolite A mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were determined based on pure gas permeation experiments. MMMs were prepared by incorporating zeolite 4A nanoparticles into a PDMS matrix using a new procedure. The permeation rates of C₃H₈, CH₄, CO₂, and H₂ were evaluated through a dense homogeneous pure PDMS membrane and PDMS/4A MMMs to assess the viability of these membranes for natural gas sweetening and hydrogen purification. SEM investigations showed good adhesion of the polymer to the zeolite in MMMs. Permeation performance of the membranes was also investigated using a laboratory-scale gas separation apparatus and effects of feed pressure, zeolite loading and pore size of zeolite on the gas separation performance of the MMMs were evaluated. The MMMs exhibited both higher selectivity of H₂/CH₄ and H₂ permeability as compared with the neat PDMS membrane, suggesting that these membranes are very promising for gas separations such as H₂/CH₄ separation.     

In situ fabrication of cross-linked PEO/silica reverse-selective membranes for hydrogen purification

Targeting at hydrogen purification, cross-linked organic–inorganic reverse-selective membranes containing poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) are fabricated in situ by using functional oligomers (O,O′-bis(2-aminopropyl) polypropylene glycol-block-polyethylene glycol-block-polypropylene glycol: Jeffamine^® ED-2003) with a high content of PEO and epoxy-functional silanes (3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane: GOTMS). Changes in physicochemical properties due to varying silica content have been characterized; including a great decline in melting temperature; an improvement in glassy and degradation temperature, and the suppression of PEO crystallinity. The strong affinity between quadrupolar CO₂ and polar ethylene oxide (EO) groups enhances the CO₂/H₂ separation performance of hybrid membranes, which can be further tuned by controlling the organic/inorganic ratio. The organic–inorganic hybrid membrane with 90 wt% of ED-2003 demonstrates an appealing CO₂ permeability of 367 Barrer with an attractive CO₂/H₂ selectivity of 8.95 at 3.5 atm and 35 °C. The transport performance trend with composition variations is explained by analyzing the calculated solubility and diffusivity based on the solution-diffusion mechanism. Moreover, CO₂ permeability increases with applied pressure in pure gas tests because of CO₂ plasticization phenomena, which is beneficial for CO₂/H₂ separation. Attributing to CO₂ plasticization and CO₂ dominant sorption, the mixed gas test results of the membrane containing only 25 wt% ED-2003 show greatly improved CO₂/H₂ selectivity of 13.2 with CO₂ permeability of 148 Barrer at 35 °C compared to pure gas results. Interestingly, at a stipulated CO₂ pressure, the inherent tension in cross-linked networks maintains the CO₂ permeability stable with the time. The cross-linked organic–inorganic membranes with enhancements in mechanical and thermal properties are promising for industrial-scale hydrogen purification.     

Large surface and pore structure of mesoporous WS2 and RGO nanosheets with small amount of Pt as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

In this work, mesoporous WS₂ with high surface area was prepared by hard template method. First, a one-step nanocasting generates metal precursor@mesoporous silica SBA-15 composites. A hydrothermal method is subsequently adopted to convert the precursors to sulfides in the confined nanochannels. After etching silica SBA-15, mesoporous layered metal sulfide crystals were obtained as the products. Then, we have put forward a new catalyst based on mesoporous WS_2, RGO nanosheets and Pt nanoparticles as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. The Pt/WG-2 nanostructure electrocatalyst in this report exhibits excellent performance with a small Tafel slope of 47 mV dec^?1, long-term durability and an overpotential of 95 mV in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).     

Highly dispersed NiCu nanoparticles on SBA-15 for selective hydrogenation of methyl levulinate to γ-valerolactone

Copper and nickel nanoparticles highly dispersed on an ordered mesoporous silica support (SBA-15) were prepared by a glycol-assisted impregnation method and tested for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation reaction of methyl levulinate to γ-valerolactone (GVL). Characterizations by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, N₂ sorption, H₂ temperature-programmed reduction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirm that the highly dispersed nanoparticles were well-anchored to the mesopores of SBA-15 with the strong interaction. Comparing to a catalyst synthesized by a conventional aqueous impregnation method, our catalyst shows a higher conversion and greater selectivity towards GVL of reaction at 140–170 °C using 2-propanol as a solvent and a hydrogen donor. Results showed that NiCu/SBA-15 (EG) had much better activity, providing 91.3% conversion of ML with 89.7% selectivity towards GVL in 3 h at 140 °C. The high compositional homogeneity, uniform distribution of the nanoparticles in the mesoporous channels and the strong interaction between the metal nanoparticles and SBA-15 contribute to the superior catalytic performance. This catalyst also demonstrates superb stability over the course of 5 reaction cycles without significant loss in catalytic activity and selectivity towards GVL formation.