Design and fabrication of whisker hybrid ceramic membranes with narrow pore size distribution and high permeability via co-sintering process

Zou, Dong; Ke, Xuebin; Qiu, Minghui; Chen, Xianfu; Fan, Yiqun

Abstract

Ceramic microfiltration membranes (MF) with narrow pore size distribution and high permeability are widely used for the preparation of ceramic ultrafiltration membranes (UF) and in wastewater treatment. In this work, a whisker hybrid ceramic membrane (WHCM) consisting of a whisker layer and an alumina layer was designed to achieve high permeability and narrow pore size distribution based on the relative resistance obtained using the Hagen-Poiseuille and Darcy equations. The whisker layer was designed to prevent the penetration of alumina particles into the support and ensure a high porosity of the membrane, while the alumina layer provided a smooth surface and narrow pore size distribution. Mass transfer resistance is critical to reduce the effect of the membrane layers. It was found that the resistance of the WHCM depended largely on the alumina layer. The effect of the support and whisker layer on the resistance of the WHCM was negligible. This was consistent with theoretical calculations. The WHCM was co-sintered at 1000 °C, which resulted in a high permeability of ~ 645 L m−1 h−1 ;bar−1 and a narrow pore size distribution of ~ 100 nm. Co-sintering was carried out on a macroporous ceramic support (just needed one sintering process), which greatly reduced the preparation cost and time. The WHCM (as the sub-layer) also showed a great potential to be used for the fabrication of ceramic UF membranes with high repeatability. Hence, this study provides an efficient approach for the fabrication of advanced ceramic MF membranes on macroporous supports, allowing for rapid prototyping with scale-up capability.

Citation

Zou, D., Ke, X., Qiu, M., Chen, X., & Fan, Y. (2018). Design and fabrication of whisker hybrid ceramic membranes with narrow pore size distribution and high permeability via co-sintering process. Ceramics international, 44(17), 21159-21169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.08.161

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 16, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Aug 17, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Sep 3, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 18, 2019
• Journal: Ceramics International
• Print ISSN: 0272-8842
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 17
• Pages: 21159-21169
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.08.161
• Keywords: Whisker hybrid ceramic membrane; SiC whisker; Alumina particles; High permeability; Narrow pore size distribution
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/987740
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027288421832251X?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Ceramics international, 2018. The version of record is available at the DOI link in this record.
• Contract Date: Jun 6, 2019