PFI-TT: Development of Polymeric Organosilica Membranes for Hydrogen Purification at 100 – 300 oC

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is that the silica membrane products will enable low-cost production of hydrogen gas, (H2, a clean energy carrier), and carbon dioxide (CO2, a greenhouse gas) capture for utilization or storage on a large scale - economically mitigating CO2 emissions to the environment. Specifically, the program will bring the technology beyond the laboratory by demonstrating scalability of membrane production using conventional processes and capitalizing on the long-term stability of the membranes when used with realistic gas streams.

The team seeks to license the technology to a membrane manufacturer and developer, which can then conduct pilot-scale field tests of the membrane systems and offer small commercial systems for separation and purification of H2 from various industrial streams. The students participating in this program will benefit from interdisciplinary training on membranes and separation, H2 purification and carbon capture, materials science and engineering, and advanced manufacturing.

The research will become a valuable vehicle to attract students from underrepresented groups at various levels (graduate, undergraduate, and high school) to experience entrepreneurial multi-disciplinary research and inspire them to pursue STEM careers and entrepreneurship.

The project aims to demonstrate the potential of polymeric organosilica (POSi) membranes by meeting three milestones. (1) Prepare membranes with 50% higher H2 permeance and three times higher H2/CO2 selectivity than current commercial membranes by optimizing polymer precursors and fabrication conditions; (2) Scale-up membrane production (10 – 100 m2 membrane area) using industrial roll-to-roll facilities; and (3) Demonstrate continuous long-term (2-4 weeks) performance and stability with simulated gas mixtures. The key innovation of the technology is a facile means of preparing an ultrathin layer (10 nm or less) of inorganic material on top of polymeric membranes, providing superior H2 permeance and H2/CO2 selectivity.

Such polymeric membranes are routinely produced in industry, and they provide excellent mechanical support for the ultrathin inorganic selective layer during processing and use. the team's approach represents a new, scalable, reproducible, and low-cost means of preparing inorganic membranes for gas separation, in contrast to the high cost and poor scalability of existing production routes, which have prevented the adoption of high-performance inorganic membranes for gas separation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.