Effects of different silica intermediate layers for hydrogen diffusion enhancement of palladium membranes applied to porous stainless steel support

Porous stainless steel (SUS) supports were modified with double intermediate layers, silicalite-1 and γ-alumina, to enhance the hydrogen diffusion of a thin palladium membrane. One of layers, silicalite-1, was prepared using the hydrothermal synthetic method on porous SUS supports. The differences in expansion/contraction behaviors caused by different thermal coefficients of expansion between silicalite-1 and the SUS resulted in a lowering of the durability of the membrane. Intermediates layers of mesoporous MCM-48 powders or commercial spherical non-porous silica particles were then applied to porous SUS supports via aspiration, γ-alumina was introduced by dip-coating, and the Pd membrane was subjected to electro-less plating. H2 permeance of the Pd membrane (membrane thickness: 11 μm) containing spherical silica particles was around 10 × 10−6 mol·m−2·s−1·Pa−1 at 600 °C, which was higher than that of the Pd membrane (membrane thickness: 7 μm) containing MCM-48. The durability of the Pd membrane containing spherical silica particles was higher than that of the version containing MCM-48 powders. These results suggest that commercial spherical non-porous silica particles will uniformly occupy the pores of the SUS tubes and enhance the H2 permeance and durability of the Pd membrane.