A novel Pd/silicalite-1 composite membrane for hydrogen separation

A novel Pd/silicalite-1 composite membrane supported on the macroporous tubular stainless steel substrate was successfully fabricated by electroless plating at 303 K. The structure, morphology and gaseous permeability of the membrane were detected by X-ray diffractiometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and single-gas permeation test, respectively. Results confirm the formation of a thin, smooth, and continuous Pd/silicalite-1 composite membrane. The obtained composite membrane shows a high H₂ permeance of 1.15×10⁻⁶ mol·m⁻²·s⁻¹·Pa⁻¹ with moderate H₂ selectivity of 250 for H₂/N₂ at 773 K, at 0.1 MPa pressure drop, suggesting the potential application for H₂ separation. Supported by Petrochemical Corporation and the National Key Technology Research and Development Program (Grant No.2006BAE02B05) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20606004)