ZSM-5 membranes synthesized without organic templates using a seeding technique

Porous alpha-alumina supports were seeded with colloidal TPA-silicalite-1 crystals and calcined. The supports were treated in a synthesis solution to grow the seed crystals into ZSM-5 films. The synthesis solution was free from organic template molecules in order to avoid the calcination step which often introduces cracks in the synthesized zeolite film. An SEM investigation indicated that the zeolite films on the supports were defect free and that the film thickness was approximately 1.5 mu m. XRD data showed that the film consisted of well-crystallized ZSM-5. The permeance in single gas experiments decreased in the order H2O, H-2, CO2, O-2, N-2 and CH4. The difference in permeance between each molecular species in the series was almost one order of magnitude which indicated that the membranes were of a high quality. Molecules larger than CH4 permeated with similar and low rates, independent of their kinetic diameters, indicating a non-selective permeation path through defects in the zeolite films. However, the permeance of these larger molecules was less than 1/10 000 of that for H2O. The highest measured separation factors for binary mixtures of N-2/SF6 and H-2/i-C-4 were 110 and 99. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.