H2 separation using defect-free, inorganic composite membranes.

Defect-free, microporous Al(2)O(3)/SAPO-34 zeolite composite membranes were prepared by coating hydrothermally grown zeolite membranes with microporous alumina using molecular layer deposition. These inorganic composite membranes are highly efficient for H(2) separation: their highest H(2)/N(2) mixture selectivity was 1040, in contrast with selectivities of 8 for SAPO-34 membranes. The composite membranes were selective for H(2) for temperatures up to at least 473 K and feed pressures up to at least 1.5 MPa; at 473 K and 1.5 MPa, the H(2)/N(2) separation selectivity was 750. The H(2)/CO(2) separation selectivity was lower than the H(2)/N(2) selectivity and decreased slightly with increasing pressure; the selectivity was 20 at 473 K and 1.5 MPa. The high H(2) selectivity resulted either because most of the pores in the Al(2)O(3) layer were slightly smaller than 0.36 nm (the kinetic diameter of N(2)) or because the Al(2)O(3) layer slightly narrowed the SAPO-34 pore entrance. These composite membranes may represent a new class of inorganic membranes for gas separation.