Effects of Bi Substitution on the Cobalt-Free 60wt.%Ce0.9Pr0.1O2−δ-40wt.%Pr0.6Sr0.4Fe1−xBixO3−δ Oxygen Transport Membranes

The mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) oxygen transport membrane (OTM) can completely selectively penetrate oxygen theoretically and can be widely used in gas separation and oxygen-enriched combustion industries. In this paper, dual-phase MIEC OTMs doped with Bi are successfully prepared by a sol-gel method with high-temperature sintering, whose chemical formulas are 60wt.%Ce0.9Pr0.1O2−δ-40wt.%Pr0.6Sr0.4Fe1−xBixO3−δ (60CPO-40PSF1−xBxO, x = 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20). The dual-phase structure, element content, surface morphology, oxygen permeability, and stability are studied by XRD, EDXS, SEM, and self-built devices, respectively. The optimal Bi-doped component is 60wt.%Ce0.9Pr0.1O2−δ-40wt.%Pr0.6Sr0.4Fe0.99Bi0.01O3−δ, which can maintain 0.71 and 0.62 mL·min−1·cm−2 over 50 h under He and CO2 atmospheres, respectively. The oxygen permeation flux through these Bi-doped OTMs under air/CO2 gradient is 12.7% less than that under air/He gradient, which indicates that the Bi-doped OTMs have comparable oxygen permeability and excellent CO2 tolerance.

Catalytic ceramic oxygen ionic conducting membrane reactors for ethylene production

Catalytic ceramic oxygen ionic conducting membrane reactors have great potential in the production of high value-added chemicals as they can couple chemical reactions with separation within a single unit, allowing process intensification.

Synthesis and Characterization of 40 wt % Ce0.9Pr0.1O2-δ-60 wt % NdxSr1-xFe0.9Cu0.1O3-δ Dual-Phase Membranes for Efficient Oxygen Separation

Dense, H₂- and CO₂-resistant, oxygen-permeable 40 wt % Ce_0.9Pr_0.1O_2–δ–60 wt % Nd_xSr_1−xFe_0.9Cu_0.1O_3−δdual-phase membranes were prepared in a one-pot process. These Nd-containing dual-phase membranes have up to 60% lower material costs than many classically used dual-phase materials. The Ce_0.9Pr_0.1O_2−δ–Nd_0.5Sr_0.5Fe_0.9Cu_0.1O_3−δ sample demonstrates outstanding activity and a regenerative ability in the presence of different atmospheres, especially in a reducing atmosphere and pure CO₂ atmosphere in comparison with all investigated samples. The oxygen permeation fluxes across a Ce_0.9Pr_0.1O_2−δ–Nd_0.5Sr_0.5Fe_0.9Cu_0.1O_3−δ membrane reached up to 1.02 mL min⁻¹ cm⁻² and 0.63 mL min⁻¹ cm⁻² under an air/He and air/CO₂ gradient at T = 1223 K, respectively. In addition, a Ce_0.9Pr_0.1O_2–δ–Nd_0.5Sr_0.5Fe_0.9Cu_0.1O_3–δ membrane (0.65 mm thickness) shows excellent long-term self-healing stability for 125 h. The repeated membrane fabrication delivered oxygen permeation fluxes had a deviation of less than 5%. These results indicate that this highly renewable dual-phase membrane is a potential candidate for long lifetime, high temperature gas separation applications and coupled reaction–separation processes.

Microstructural and Interfacial Designs of Oxygen-Permeable Membranes for Oxygen Separation and Reaction-Separation Coupling

Mixed ionic-electronic conducting oxygen-permeable membranes can rapidly separate oxygen from air with 100% selectivity and low energy consumption. Combining reaction and separation in an oxygen-permeable membrane reactor significantly simplifies the technological scheme and reduces the process energy consumption. Recently, materials design and mechanism investigations have provided insight into the microstructural and interfacial effects. The microstructures of the membrane surfaces and bulk are closely related to the interfacial oxygen exchange kinetics and bulk diffusion kinetics. Therefore, the permeability and stability of oxygen-permeable membranes with a single-phase structure and a dual-phase structure can be adjusted through their microstructural and interfacial designs. Here, recent advances in the development of oxygen permeation models that provide a deep understanding of the microstructural and interfacial effects, and strategies to simultaneously improve the permeability and stability through microstructural and interfacial design are discussed in detail. Then, based on the developed high-performance membranes, highly effective membrane reactors for process intensification and new technology developments are highlighted. The new membrane reactors will trigger innovations in natural gas conversion, ammonia synthesis, and hydrogen-related clean energy technologies. Future opportunities and challenges in the development of oxygen-permeable membranes for oxygen separation and reaction-separation coupling are also explored.

Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conduction in NiFe2 O4 -Ce0.8 Gd0.2 O2-δ Nanocomposite Thin Films for Oxygen Separation

NiFe₂ O₄ -Ce_0.8 Gd_0.2 O_2-δ (NFO/CGO) nanocomposite thin films were prepared by simultaneously radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering of both NFO and CGO targets. The aim is the growth of a CO₂ -stable composite layer that combines the electronic and ionic conduction of the separate NFO and the CGO phases for oxygen separation. The effect of the deposition temperature on the microstructure of the film was studied to obtain high-quality composite thin films. The ratio of both phases was changed by applying different power to each ceramic target. The amount of each deposited phase as well as the different oxidation states of the nanocomposite constituents were analyzed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The transport properties were studied by conductivity measurements as a function of temperature and pO₂ . These analyses enabled (1) selection of the best deposition temperature (400 °C), (2) correlation of the p-type electronic behavior of the NFO phase with the hole hopping between Ni³⁺ -Ni²⁺ , and (3) following the conductivity behavior of the grown composite layer (prevailing ionic or electronic character) attained by varying the amount of each phase. The sputtered layer exhibited high ambipolar conduction and surfaceexchange activity. A 150 nm-thick nanograined thin film was deposited on a 20 μm-thick Ba_0.5 Sr_0.5 Co_0.8 Fe_0.2 O_3-δ asymmetric membrane, resulting in up to 3.8 mL min^-1  cm^-2 O₂ permeation at 1000 °C under CO₂ atmosphere.

Designing CO2-resistant oxygen-selective mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes: guidelines, recent advances, and forward directions

CO₂ resistance is an enabling property for the wide-scale implementation of oxygen-selective mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) membranes in clean energy technologies, i.e., oxyfuel combustion, clean coal energy delivery, and catalytic membrane reactors for greener chemical synthesis. The significant rise in the number of studies over the past decade and the major progress in CO₂-resistant MIEC materials warrant systematic guidelines on this topic. To this end, this review features the pertaining aspects in addition to the recent status and advances of the two most promising membrane materials, perovskite and fluorite-based dual-phase materials. We explain how to quantify and design CO₂ resistant membranes using the Lewis acid-base reaction concept and thermodynamics perspective and highlight the relevant characterization techniques. For perovskite materials, a trade-off generally exists between CO₂ resistance and O₂ permeability. Fluorite materials, despite their inherent CO₂ resistance, typically have low O₂ permeability but this can be improved via different approaches including thin film technology and the recently developed minimum internal electronic short-circuit second phase and external electronic short-circuit decoration. We then elaborate the two main future directions that are centralized around the development of new oxide compositions capable of featuring simultaneously high CO₂ resistance and O₂ permeability and the exploitation of phase reactions to create a new conductive phase along the grain boundaries of dual-phase materials. The final part of the review discusses various complimentary characterization techniques and the relevant studies that can provide insights into the degradation mechanism of oxide-based materials upon exposure to CO₂.

Novel Approach for Developing Dual-Phase Ceramic Membranes for Oxygen Separation through Beneficial Phase Reaction

A novel method based on beneficial phase reaction for developing composite membranes with high oxygen permeation flux and favorable stability was proposed in this work. Various Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ (SDC) + SrCO3+Co3O4 powders with different SDC contents were successfully fabricated into membranes through high temperature phase reaction. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements suggest that the solid-state reaction between the SDC, SrCO3 and Co3O4 oxides occurred at the temperature for membrane sintering, leading to the formation of a highly conductive tetragonal perovskite phase SmxSr1-xCoO3-δ. The morphology and elemental distribution of the dual-phase membranes were characterized using back scattered scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (BSEM-EDX). The oxygen bulk diffusivity and surface exchange properties of the materials were investigated via the electrical conductivity relaxation technique, which supported the formation of conductive phases. The SDC+20 wt % SrCO3+10.89 wt % Co3O4 membrane exhibited the highest permeation flux among the others, reaching 0.93 mL cm(-2) min(-1) [STP = standard temperature and pressure] under an air/helium gradient at 900 °C for a membrane with a thickness of 0.5 mm. In addition, the oxygen permeation flux remained stable during the long-time test. The results demonstrate the beneficial phase reaction as a practical method for the development of high-performance dual-phase ceramic membranes.

Enhanced oxygen separation through robust freeze-cast bilayered dual-phase membranes

Dual-phase oxygen-permeable asymmetric membranes with enhanced oxygen permeation were prepared by combining freeze-casting, screen-printing, and constraint-sintering techniques. The membranes were evaluated under oxyfuel operating conditions. The prepared membranes are composed of an original ice-templated La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.2)Fe(0.8)O(3-δ) support with hierarchically oriented porosity and a top fully densified bilayered coating comprising a 10 μm-thick La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.2)Fe(0.8)O(3-δ) layer and a top protective 8 μm-thick layer made of an optimized NiFe2O4/Ce(0.8)Tb(0.2)O(2-δ) composite synthesized by the one-pot Pechini method. Preliminary analysis confirmed the thermochemical compatibility of the three involved phases at high temperature without any additional phase detected. This membrane exhibited a promising oxygen permeation value of 4.8 mL min(-1)  cm(-2) at 1000 °C upon using Ar and air as the sweep and feed gases, respectively. Mimicking oxyfuel operating conditions by switching argon to pure CO2 as a sweep gas at 1000 °C and air as feed enabled an oxygen flux value of 5.6 mL min(-1)  cm(-2) to be reached. Finally, under the same conditions and increasing the oxygen partial pressure to 0.1 MPa in the feed, the oxygen permeation reached 12 mL min(-1)  cm(-2). The influence of CO2 content in the sweep gas was studied and its reversible and positive effect over oxygen permeation at temperatures equal to or above 950 °C was revealed. Finally, the membrane stability over a period of 150 h under CO2-rich sweep gas showed a low degradation rate of 2.4×10(-2)  mL min(-1)  cm(-2) per day.

A novel cobalt-free, CO2-stable, and reduction-tolerant dual-phase oxygen-permeable membrane

A novel CO2-stable and reduction-tolerant Ce0.8Sm0.2O(2-δ)-La0.9Sr0.1FeO(3-δ) (SDC-LSF) dense dual-phase oxygen-permeable membrane was designed and evaluated in this work. Homogeneous SDC-LSF composite powders for membrane fabrication were synthesized via a one-pot combustion method. The chemical compatibility and ion interdiffusion behavior between the fluorite phase SDC and perovskite phase LSF during the synthesis process was studied. The oxygen permeation flux through the dense dual-phase composite membranes was evaluated and found to be highly dependent on the volume ratio of SDC and LSF. The SDC-LSF membrane with a volume ratio of 7:3 (SDC70-LSF30) possessed the highest permeation flux, achieving 6.42 × 10(-7) mol·cm(-2)·s(-1) under an air/CO gradient at 900 °C for a 1.1-mm-thick membrane. Especially, the membrane performance showed excellent durability and operated stably without any degradation at 900 °C for 450 h with helium, CO2, or CO as the sweep gas. The present results demonstrate that a SDC70-LSF30 dual-phase membrane is a promising chemically stable device for oxygen production and CO2 capture with sufficiently high oxygen permeation flux.