Non-Pd BCC alloy membranes for industrial hydrogen separation

Hydrogen Separation Membranes: A Material Perspective

The global energy market is shifting toward renewable, sustainable, and low-carbon hydrogen energy due to global environmental issues, such as rising carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, and global warming. Currently, a majority of hydrogen demands are achieved by steam methane reforming and other conventional processes, which, again, are very carbon-intensive methods, and the hydrogen produced by them needs to be purified prior to their application. Hence, researchers are continuously endeavoring to develop sustainable and efficient methods for hydrogen generation and purification. Membrane-based gas-separation technologies were proven to be more efficient than conventional technologies. This review explores the transition from conventional separation techniques, such as pressure swing adsorption and cryogenic distillation, to advanced membrane-based technologies with high selectivity and efficiency for hydrogen purification. Major emphasis is placed on various membrane materials and their corresponding membrane performance. First, we discuss various metal membranes, including dense, alloyed, and amorphous metal membranes, which exhibit high hydrogen solubility and selectivity. Further, various inorganic membranes, such as zeolites, silica, and CMSMs, are also discussed. Major emphasis is placed on the development of polymeric materials and membranes for the selective separation of hydrogen from CH4, CO2, and N2. In addition, cutting-edge mixed-matrix membranes are also delineated, which involve the incorporation of inorganic fillers to improve performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in gas-separation membranes and membrane materials in terms of hydrogen selectivity, permeability, and durability in practical applications. By analyzing various conventional and advanced technologies, this review provides a comprehensive material perspective on hydrogen separation membranes, thereby endorsing hydrogen energy for a sustainable future.

Phase Equilibria of the V-Ti-Fe System and Its Applications in the Design of Novel Hydrogen Permeable Alloys

The precise liquidus projection of the V-Ti-Fe system are crucial for designing high-performance hydrogen permeation alloys, but there are still many controversies in the research of this system. To this end, this article first uses the CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) method to reconstruct the alloy phase diagram and compares and analyses existing experimental data, confirming that the newly constructed phase diagram in this article has good reliability and accuracy. Second, this obtained phase diagram was applied to the subsequent development process of hydrogen permeation alloys, and the (Ti65Fe35)100-xVx (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 25) alloys with dual-phase {bcc-(V, Ti) + TiFe} structure were successfully explored. In particular, the alloys with x values equal to 2.5 at.% and 5 at.% exhibit relatively high hydrogen permeability. Third, to further increase the H2 flux permeation through the alloys, a 500-mm-long tubular (Ti65Fe35)95V5 membrane for hydrogen permeation was prepared for the first time. Hydrogen permeation testing showed that this membrane had a very high H2 flux (4.06 mL min-1), which is ca. 6.7 times greater than the plate-like counterpart (0.61 mL min-1) under the same test conditions. This work not only indicates the reliability of the obtained V-Ti-Fe phase diagram in developing new hydrogen permeation alloys, but also demonstrates that preparing tubular membranes is one of the most important means of improving H2 flux.

Phase Equilibria, Solidified Microstructure, and Hydrogen Transport Behaviour in the V-Ti-Co System

At present, the V-Ti-Co phase diagram is not established, which seriously hinders the subsequent development of this potential hydrogen permeation alloy system. To this end, this article constructed the first phase diagram of the V-Ti-Co system by using the CALculation of PHAse Diagrams (CALPHAD) approach as well as relevant validation experiments. On this basis, hydrogen-permeable VxTi50Co50-x (x = 17.5, 20.5, …, 32.5) alloys were designed, and their microstructure characteristics and hydrogen transport behaviour were further studied by XRD, SEM, EDS, and so on. It was found that six ternary invariant reactions are located in the liquidus projection, and the phase diagram is divided into eight phase regions by their connecting lines. Among them, some alloys in the TiCo phase region were proven to be promising candidate materials for hydrogen permeation. Typically, VxTi50Co50-x (x = 17.5-23.5) alloys, which consist of the primary TiCo and the eutectic {bcc-(V, Ti) and TiCo} structure, show a high hydrogen permeability without hydrogen embrittlement. In particular, V23.5Ti50Co26.5 exhibit the highest permeability of 4.05 × 10-8 mol H2 m-1s-1Pa-0.5, which is the highest value known heretofore in the V-Ti-Co system. The high permeability of these alloys is due in large part to the simultaneous increment of hydrogen solubility and diffusivity, and is closely related to the composition of hydrogen permeable alloys, especially the Ti content in the (V, Ti) phase. The permeability of this alloy system is much higher than those of Nb-TiCo and/or Nb-TiNi alloys.

Collectable Single Pure-Pd Metal Membrane with High Strength and Flexibility Prepared through Electroplating for Hydrogen Purification

Among the various film preparation methods, electroplating is one of the simplest and most economical methods. However, it is challenging to collect a dense single Pd film through plating, owing to the accumulation of stress in the film during the process. Therefore, the characteristics of a single plated film have not been clearly identified, although pure Pd is widely used in metallic-hydrogen-purification membranes. In this study, stress concentration in film during preparation was reduced by optimizing the plating process, and a dense single flat film was successfully collected. No impurities were detected. Thus, a high-purity Pd film was prepared. Its surface texture was found to be significantly different from that of the rolled film, and several approximately 5 μm sized aggregates were observed on the surface. The plated film is reported to have mechanical properties superior to those of the rolled film, with twice the displacement and four times the breaking point strength. The hydrogen permeabilities of the plated film (5.4 × 10−9–1.1 × 10−8 mol·m−1·s−1·Pa−1/2 at 250–450 °C) were comparable to those of the rolled and reported films, indicating that the surface texture does not have a strong effect on hydrogen permeability. The results of this study promote the practical use of Pd-based membranes through electroplating.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Pd/Ta and PdCu/Ta Composites for Thermocatalytic Hydrogen Permeation

The development of stable and durable hydrogen (H₂) separation technology is essential for the effective use of H₂ energy. Thus, the use of H₂ permeable membranes, made of palladium (Pd), has been extensively studied in the literature. However, Pd has considerable constraints in large-scale applications due to disadvantages such as very high cost and H₂ embrittlement. To address these shortcomings, copper (Cu) and Pd were deposited on Ta to fabricate a composite H₂ permeable membrane. To this end, first, Pd was deposited on a tantalum (Ta) support disk, yielding 7.4 × 10^-8 mol_H2 m^-1 s^-1 Pa^-0.5 of permeability. Second, a Cu-Pd alloy on a Ta support was synthesized via stepwise electroless plating and plasma sputtering to improve the durability of the membrane. The use of Cu is cost-effective compared with Pd, and the appropriate composition of the PdCu alloy is advantageous for long-term H₂ permeation. Despite the lower H₂ permeation of the PdCu/Ta membrane (than the Pd/Ta membrane), about two-fold temporal stability is achieved using the PdCu/Ta composite. The degradation process of the Ta support-based H₂ permeable membrane is examined by SEM. Moreover, thermocatalytic H₂ dissociation mechanisms on Pd and PdCu were investigated and are discussed numerically via a density functional theory study.

Microstructure and Hydrogen Permeability of Nb-Ni-Ti-Zr-Co High Entropy Alloys

Hydrogen separation membranes are one of the most promising technologies for hydrogen purification. The development of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) for hydrogen separation membranes is driven by a "cocktail effect" of elements with different hydrogen affinities to prevent hydride formation and retain high permeability due to the single-phase BCC structure. In this paper, equimolar and non-equimolar Nb-Ni-Ti-Zr-Co high entropy alloys were fabricated by arc melting. The microstructure and phase composition of the alloys were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The hydrogen permeation experiments were performed at 300-500 °C and a hydrogen pressure of 4 bar. In order to estimate the effect of composition and lattice structure on hydrogen location and diffusivity in Nb-Ni-Ti-Zr-Co alloy, ab initio calculations of hydrogen binding energy were performed using virtual crystal approximation. It was found that Nb-enriched and near equimolar BCC phases were formed in Nb₂₀Ni₂₀Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Co₂₀ HEA while Nb-enriched BCC and B2-Ni(Ti, Zr) were formed in Nb₄₀Ni₂₅Ti₁₈Zr₁₂Co₅ alloy. Hydrogen permeability tests showed that Nb₂₀Ni₂₀Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Co₂₀ HEA shows lower activation energy and higher permeability at lower temperatures as well as higher resistance to hydrogen embrittlement compared to Nb₄₀Ni₂₅Ti₁₈Zr₁₂Co₅ alloy. The effect of composition, microstructure and hydrogen binding energies on permeability of the fabricated alloys was discussed.

New Sustainable Multilayered Membranes Based on ZrVTi for Hydrogen Purification

Some metals belonging to groups IV and V show a high permeability to hydrogen and have been studied as possible alternatives to palladium in membranes for hydrogen purification/separation in order to increase their sustainability and decrease their costs. However, to date, very few alloys among those metals have been investigated, and no membrane studies based on 4–5 element alloys with low or zero Pd content and quasi-amorphous structure have been reported so far. In this work, new membranes based on ZrVTi- and ZrVTiPd alloys were tested for the first time for this application. The unprecedented deposition of micrometric-based multilayers was performed via high-power impulse magnetron sputtering onto porous alumina substrates. Dense Pd/Zr_xV_yTi_zPd_w/Pd multilayers were obtained. The composition of the alloys, morphology and structure, hydrogen permeance, selectivity, and resistance to embrittlement were tested and analyzed depending on the deposition conditions, and the membrane with the enhanced performance was tuned. The environmental impact of these membranes was also investigated to ascertain the sustainability of these alloys relative to more common Pd₇₇Ag₂₃ and V₉₃Pd₇ thin-film membranes using a life cycle assessment analysis. The results showed that the partial substitution of Pd can efficiently lead to a decrease in the environmental impacts of the membranes.

Palladium Membrane with High Density of Large-Angle Grain Boundaries to Promote Hydrogen Diffusivity

A higher density of large-angle grain boundaries in palladium membranes promotes hydrogen diffusion whereas small-angle grain boundaries suppress it. In this paper, the microstructure formation in 10 µm thick palladium membranes is tuned to achieve a submicronic grain size above 100 nm with a high density of large-angle grain boundaries. Moreover, changes in the grain boundaries’ structure is investigated after exposure to hydrogen at 300 and 500 °C. To attain large-angle grain boundaries in Pd, the coating was performed on yttria-stabilized zirconia/porous Crofer 22 APU substrates (intended for use later in an ultracompact membrane reactor). Two techniques of plasma sprayings were used: suspension plasma spraying using liquid nano-sized powder suspension and vacuum plasma spraying using microsized powder as feedstock. By controlling the process parameters in these two techniques, membranes with a comparable density of large-angle grain boundaries could be developed despite the differences in the fabrication methods and feedstocks. Analyses showed that a randomly oriented submicronic structure could be attained with a very similar grain sizes between 100 and 500 nm which could enhance hydrogen permeation. Exposure to hydrogen for 72 h at high temperatures revealed that the samples maintained their large-angle grain boundaries despite the increase in average grain size to around 536 and 720 nm for vacuum plasma spraying and suspension plasma spraying, respectively.

Experimental Determination of Hydrogen Isotope Transport Parameters in Vanadium

Deuterium permeation through vanadium membranes in a wide range of pressures and the temperature range ~250–550 °C was experimentally investigated. Measurements on the same material were carried out in three laboratories with different features for an extended characterization and for cross-check validation. A unified equation for deuterium permeability in pure vanadium (99%) was provided as Φ=1.27×10−4·e−8667/T mol m⁻¹ s⁻¹ Pa^−0.5, which represents a significant progress for the characterization of the transport properties in this material, given the spread of data, which can currently be found in the literature. Adsorption and recombination rate constants were also measured for hydrogen and deuterium at low pressure for the same range of temperatures. Finally, the influence of the surface roughness was examined by measuring samples with different surface finish.

Hydrogen Transportation Behaviour of V-Ni Solid Solution: A First-Principles Investigation

Hydrogen embrittlement causes deterioration of materials used in metal-hydrogen systems. Alloying is a good option for overcoming this issue. In the present work, first-principles calculations were performed to systematically study the effects of adding Ni on the stability, dissolution, trapping, and diffusion behaviour of interstitial/vacancy H atoms of pure V. The results of lattice dynamics and solution energy analyses showed that the V-Ni solid solutions are dynamically and thermodynamically stable, and adding Ni to pure V can reduce the structural stability of various VHx phases and enhance their resistance to H embrittlement. H atoms preferentially occupy the characteristic tetrahedral interstitial site (TIS) and the octahedral interstitial site (OIS), which are composed by different metal atoms, and rapidly diffuse along both the energetically favourable TIS → TIS and OIS → OIS paths. The trapping energy of monovacancy H atoms revealed that Ni addition could help minimise the H trapping ability of the vacancies and suppress the retention of H in V. Monovacancy defects block the diffusion of H atoms more than the interstitials, as determined from the calculated H-diffusion barrier energy data, whereas Ni doping contributes negligibly toward improving the H-diffusion coefficient.

Quantitative Evaluations of Hydrogen Diffusivity in V-X (X = Cr, Al, Pd) Alloy Membranes Based on Hydrogen Chemical Potential

Vanadium (V) has higher hydrogen permeability than Pd-based alloy membranes but exhibits poor resistance to hydrogen-induced embrittlement. The alloy elements are added to reduce hydrogen solubility and prevent hydrogen-induced embrittlement. To enhance hydrogen permeability, the alloy elements which improve hydrogen diffusivity in V are more suitable. In the present study, hydrogen diffusivity in V-Cr, V-Al, and V-Pd alloy membranes was investigated in view of the hydrogen chemical potential and compared with the previously reported results of V-Fe alloy membranes. The additions of Cr and Fe to V improved the mobility of hydrogen atoms. In contrast, those of Al and Pd decreased hydrogen diffusivity. The first principle calculations revealed that the hydrogen atoms cannot occupy the first-nearest neighbor T sites (T1 sites) of Al and Pd in the V crystal lattice. These blocking effects will be a dominant contributor to decreasing hydrogen diffusivity by the additions of Al and Pd. For V-based alloy membranes, Fe and Cr are more suitable alloy elements compared with Al and Pd in view of hydrogen diffusivity.

Thin robust Pd membranes for low-temperature application

Thin tubular membranes (outer diameter, 2 mm, thickness < 4 mm) exhibits strong resistance against hydrogen embrittlement at temperatures below 100 °C due to reduced lattice strain gradients in cylindrical structures and lower residual stresses.

Investigation of adsorption, dissociation, and diffusion properties of hydrogen on the V (1 0 0) surface and in the bulk: A first-principles calculation

To investigate the H2 purification mechanism of V membranes, we studied the adsorption, dissociation, and diffusion properties of H in V, an attractive candidate for H2 separation materials. Our results revealed that the most stable site on the V (1 0 0) surface is the hollow site (HS) for both adsorbed H atoms and molecules. As the coverage range increases, the adsorption energy of H2 molecules first decreases and then increases, while that of H atoms remains unchanged. The preferred diffusion path of atoms on the surface, surface to first subsurface, and first subsurface to second subsurface is HS → bridge site (BS) → HS, BS → BS, and BS → tetrahedral interstitial site (TIS) → BS, respectively. In the V bulk, H atoms occupy the energetically favourable TIS, and diffuse along the TIS → TIS path, which has a lower energy barrier. This study facilitates the understanding of the interaction between H and metals and the design of novel V-based alloy membranes.

Development of advanced materials for cleaner energy generation through fuel cells

The use of fuel cells in the transportation sector holds promise as a sustainable option for the generation of cleaner energy along with cumulative lesser GHG emissions.

Progress in Modeling of Silica-Based Membranes and Membrane Reactors for Hydrogen Production and Purification

Hydrogen is seen as the new energy carrier for sustainable energy systems of the future. Meanwhile, proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks are considered the most promising alternative to the internal combustion engines for a number of transportation applications. Nevertheless, PEMFCs need high-grade hydrogen, which is difficultly stored and transported. To solve these issues, generating hydrogen using membrane reactor (MR) systems has gained great attention. In recent years, the role of silica membranes and MRs for hydrogen production and separation attracted particular interest, and a consistent literature is addressed in this field. Although most of the scientific publications focus on silica MRs from an experimental point of view, this review describes the progress done in the last two decades in terms of the theoretical approach to simulate silica MR performances in the field of hydrogen generation. Furthermore, future trends and current challenges about silica membrane and MR applications are also discussed.

Performance of Pd-Based Membranes and Effects of Various Gas Mixtures on H2 Permeation

H2 permeation and separation properties of two Pd-based composite membranes were evaluated and compared at 400 °C and at a pressure range of 150 kPa to 600 kPa. One membrane was characterized by an approximately 8 μm-thick palladium (Pd)-gold (Au) layer deposited on an asymmetric microporous Al2O3 substrate; the other membrane consisted of an approximately 11 μm-thick pure palladium layer deposited on a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) support. At 400 °C and with a trans-membrane pressure of 50 kPa, the membranes showed a H2 permeance of 8.42 × 10−4 mol/m2·s·Pa0.5 and 2.54 × 10−5 mol/m2·s·Pa0.7 for Pd-Au and Pd membranes, respectively. Pd-Au membrane showed infinite ideal selectivity to H2 with respect to He and Ar at 400 °C and a trans-membrane pressure of 50 kPa, while the ideal selectivities for the Pd membrane under the same operating conditions were much lower. Furthermore, the permeation tests for ternary and quaternary mixtures of H2, CO, CO2, CH4, and H2O were conducted on the Pd/YSZ membrane. The H2 permeating flux decreased at the conclusion of the permeation tests for all mixtures. This decline however, was not permanent, i.e., H2 permeation was restored to its initial value after treating the membrane with H2 for a maximum of 7 h. The effects of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and the steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio on H2 permeation were also investigated using simulated steam methane reforming mixtures. It was found that H2 permeation is highest at the greatest GHSV, due to a decline in the concentration polarization effect. Variations in S/C ratio however, showed no significant effect on the H2 permeation. The permeation characteristics for the Pd/YSZ membrane were also investigated at temperatures ranging from 350 to 400 °C. The pre-exponential factor and apparent activation energy were found to be 5.66 × 10−4 mol/m2·s·Pa0.7 and 12.8 kJ/mol, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed on both pristine and used membranes, and no strong evidence of the formation of Pd-O or any other undesirable phases was observed.

Thermodynamic Aspects in Non-Ideal Metal Membranes for Hydrogen Purification

In this paper, an overview on thermodynamic aspects related to hydrogen-metal systems in non-ideal conditions is provided, aiming at systematically merging and analyzing information achieved from several different studies present in the open literature. In particular, the relationships among inner morphology, dissolved hydrogen and internal stresses are discussed in detail, putting in evidence the conformation complexity and the various types of dislocations induced by the presence of H-atoms in the lattice. Specifically, it is highlighted that the octahedral sites are preferentially occupied in the FCC metals (such as palladium), whereas tetrahedral sites are more energetically favored in BCC-structured ones (such as vanadium). These characteristics are shown to lead to a different macroscopic behavior of the two classes of metals, especially in terms of solubility and mechanical failure due to the consequent induced stresses. Furthermore, starting from the expression of the chemical potential generally presented in the literature, a new convenient expression of the activity of the H-atoms dissolved into the metal lattice as a function of the H-concentration is achieved. Such an activity expression is then used in the dissolution equilibrium relationship, which is shown to be the overall result of two different phenomena: (i) dissociative adsorption of molecular hydrogen onto the surface; and (ii) atomic hydrogen dissolution from the surface to the metal bulk. In this way, the obtained expression for equilibrium allows a method to calculate the equilibrium composition in non-ideal conditions (high pressure), which are of interest for real industrial applications.

Design of (Nb, Mo)40Ti30Ni30 alloy membranes for combined enhancement of hydrogen permeability and embrittlement resistance

The effect of substitution of Nb by Mo in Nb₄₀Ti₃₀Ni₃₀ was investigated with respect to microstructural features and hydrogen dissolution, diffusion and permeation. As-cast Nb_40−xMo_xTi₃₀Ni₃₀ (x = 0, 5, 10) alloys consist of primary bcc-Nb phase and binary eutectic (bcc-Nb + B2-TiNi). The substitution of Nb by Mo reduces the hydrogen solubility in alloys, but may increase (x = 5) or decrease (x = 10) the apparent hydrogen diffusivity and permeability. As-cast Nb₃₅Mo₅Ti₃₀Ni₃₀ exhibits a combined enhancement of hydrogen permeability and embrittlement resistance as compared to Nb₄₀Ti₃₀Ni₃₀. This work confirms that Mo is a desirable alloying element in Nb that can contribute to a reduction in hydrogen absorption and an increase in intrinsic hydrogen diffusion, thus improving embrittlement resistance with minimal permeability penalty.