Preparation and Gas Separation of Amorphous Silicon Oxycarbide Membrane Supported on Silicon Nitride Membrane

Abstract

An amorphous silicon oxycarbide membrane supported on a silicon nitride membrane substrate was prepared. A starting suspension containing polyhydromethylsiloxane (PHMS), tetramethyltetravinyl-cyclotetrasiloxane (TMTVS) and a platinum catalyst was first prepared and spin-coated on a silicon nitride membrane, and then the suspension was cross-linked and cured, followed by pyrolyzing at 1000 °C under a flowing Ar atmosphere. A dense amorphous silicon oxycarbon ceramic membrane with a thickness of about 1.8 µm was strongly bonded to the Si3N4 membrane substrate. The single gas permeation of H2 and CO2 indicated that the ideal permeation selectivity of H2/CO2 was up to 20 at 25 °C and 0.5 MPa with good long-term stability, indicating the potential application of the obtained membrane for hydrogen purification.

Keywords

• silicon oxycarbide
• silicon nitride
• pre-ceramic polymers
• spin coating
• pyrolysis
• gas separation