Team Hydrogen-Permeable Membranes
Hydrogen-Permeable Membranes
The team Hydrogen-Permeable Membranes develops dense and microporous ceramic membranes able to transport hydrogen, either in protonic (H+) or molecular form (H2) by means of selected materials and advanced fabrication techniques. Different transport mechanisms, the chemical nature of membrane materials, or process conditions allow for various application areas ranging from separation tasks (extraction of highly pure H2 from gas mixtures) to intensifying complex chemical reactions in catalytic membrane reactors using e.g. H2 and CO2 or N2 to form bio-fuels, higher hydrocarbons, or ammonia, respectively. In addition the separation of different other gas species from mixtures and the dehydrogenation of alcohols via pervaporation is a focus of the group. This is based on micro- and mesoporous membranes based on silica-carbon bonds, graphen and zirconia.
Fabrication Techniques And Materials
Membranes of different thicknesses (nm-μm range), microstructure and final geometries are fabricated on either ceramic or metallic substrates by means of advanced, reproducible and scalable fabrication techniques, e.g. tape casting, screen printing, spin and dip coating in a clean room, PS PVD etc. In addition, their properties are thoroughly studied by various characterization methods. The selection of materials covers several structural classes, ranging from well proven conventional choices such as graphene or zirconates and cerates with perovskite structure to novel, patented compositions such as rare-earth tungstates with defective fluorite structure. Along with the development of defect-free and highly performing membranes for the targeted energy and environmental applications, the team carries out detailed fundamental research on the interplay between composition, microstructure, performance and stability, partnering with a strong network of universities and research institutions under numerous national and international projects or other collaboration initiatives.