Smart Oxygen Membrane

Abstract

Oxygen selective membrane based on δ-Bi2O3/Ag cermet has maximum potential in separating oxygen from air. However, the achieved oxygen flow is inferior to high-temperature membrane. The paper proposes a new approach to creating a smart oxygen membrane with a selective layer from a nanocomposite with a complex architecture, operating at intermediate temperatures (Top ~550-600 °C). At the stage of obtaining nanopowders of membrane components, the potential and features of the mechanochemical ceramic method are taken into account. Mild conditions at the stage of consolidation by hot pressing are provided by the composition of the AgCu-matrix alloy. Achieving a gas-tight selective layer at the stage of reaching Top is ensured by dilatation of some components during the oxidation of copper alloys. The choice of Top for the oxygen membrane is based on the possibility of regeneration while maintaining the nanoscale microstructure. New solutions allow the creation of stable thin membranes with a reduced cost, including due to the silver contentnear the percolation threshold.