ABSTRACT

Zeolite micromembranes' application is not limited to gas, gas-liquid and liquid-liquid separations. They also find uses as selective barrier for sensors and ion-conducting membrane for electrochemical systems (e.g., microfuel cell). Miniaturization benefits membrane separation by improving mass and heat transfer rates (Franz et al., 2000; Losey et al., 2000). It also allows larger membrane area to be packed in a smaller volume enabling the design of a more efficient and compact separation unit. This work reports the fabrication of HZSM-5 zeolite

micromembrane and its performance for hydrogen permeation and proton transport. Although there are numerous works that discuss the fabrication of zeolite micromembranes, to our knowledge this is the first successful demonstration of gas permeation and proton transport in the zeolite micromembrane.