Preparation of Porous Silicate Cement Membranes via a One-Step Water-Based Hot–Dry Casting Method

Abstract

A commercial interest in the improvement in the separation performance and permeability of porous materials is driving efforts to deeply explore new preparation methods. In this study, the porous silicate cement membranes (PSCMs) were successfully prepared through an adjustable combination of hot–dry casting and a cement hydration process. The obtained membrane channel was unidirectional, and the surface layer was dense. The physical characteristics of the PSCMs including their pore morphology, porosity, and compressive strength, were diversified by adjusting the solid content and hot–dry temperature. The results indicated that with the solid content increasing from 40 wt. % to 60 wt. %, the porosity decreased by 8.07%, while the compressive strength improved by 12.46%. As the hot–dry temperature increased from 40 °C to 100 °C, the porosity improved by 23.04% and the BET specific surface area and total pore volume enlarged significantly, while the compressive strength decreased by 27.03%. The pore size distribution of the PSCMs exhibited a layered structure of macropores and mesopores, and the pore size increased with the hot–dry temperature. Overall, the PSCMs, which had typical structures and adjustable physical characteristics, exhibited excellent permeability and separation performance.