Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage

Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage

Feasibility of Fabricating a Defect-Free Nickel Composite Membrane Using the Organic-Inorganic Activation Technique

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Nanostructure Material Research Center (NMRC), Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box 51335-1996, Sahand New Town, Tabriz, Iran
10.22104/hfe.2025.7498.1350
Abstract
This study presents a novel fabrication method for metal/ceramic membranes, providing a cost-effective substitute for traditional, expensive Pd-based membranes. While nickel offers a promising replacement for Pd-based membranes, its effectiveness in H2 separation depends on whether it can function independently or must be incorporated into Pd-based alloys to enhance performance and reduce fabrication costs. To investigate this, a homogeneous and thin (2 µm) nickel composite membrane was fabricated with the organic-inorganic activation (OIA) process in the electroless plating (ELP) technique for the first time. At 25°C and a differential pressure of 400 kPa, the hydrogen flux of the membrane was measured at 3.26×10-2 molm-2 s-1, with a separation factor of 3 for H2/N2. The findings demonstrated that Knudsen diffusion was the prevailing mechanism for H2 transport across the membrane.
Keywords
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