Study of Preventing the Alumina Dissolution and Metal Ion Migration in the Ceramic Membrane Divided-Electrochemical Cell Worked with High Acid-Base Electrolyte

Abstract

The separator plays a key role in enhancing the performance of an electrochemical reactor. Polymeric ion-exchange membrane-like Nafion has been commercialized, but it has some disadvantages, such as durability and ion migration between the half-cells. In the present work, a ZSM-5 membrane (Pore size 0.55 nm) prepared by secondary growth on core–shell tubular ceramic supports was tested by measuring the stability and performing migration analysis in each half-cell of a divided tubular electrolysis reactor in high alkaline-acid aqueous solutions. An approximately 9000 h core–shell Zeolite tubular membrane (CSZTM) was robust when functioned at room temperatures in high acid and alkaline media because no obvious change in surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy mass loss percent, and open porosity, and there were no large differences in the patterns. Ion migration was analyzed for more than 500 h in a divided tubular cell using CSZTM, and no migration was observed in both sides according to UV–visible spectroscopy. CSZTM was synthesized successfully, and its stability and ion migration were examined in an acid-alkaline aqueous solution in an electrochemical reactor.