SGER: Precision Fabrication of Multi-Component, Multi-Functional Catalytic Membranes Using Photolithography

智能优点：膜反应器在同一装置中将反应和分离结合在一起，通过在产品形成时将其移除来改变平衡并提高产率。选择性透氧膜可用作选择性催化反应器，例如用于商业生产合成气。PI计划使用光刻技术来制造多功能催化膜，该催化膜由组装在功能选择性透氧膜上的催化剂簇组成。光刻技术的使用应该会产生高度可重复性的制造工艺，从而降低当前催化制造技术中固有的批次内和批间的可变性。该制造工艺将通过产生类似于半导体行业中使用的晶片制造技术的自动化制造工艺来降低薄膜制造成本。对通过膜的氧通量的增强作用将为选择性透氧膜在工业上变得有吸引力提供必要的技术。这项技术还可以通过制造多组分、多功能的多相催化剂来影响模型催化剂的研究，这些催化剂可以进行测试和表征，以获得有关每个催化剂组分的功能的基本信息。此外，该项目的成功完成将产生一个膜反应器，它可以在实验室规模上进行研究和建模，然后通过制造更大的膜晶片或堆叠的并行反应器来扩大规模。将获得有关处理过程中团簇大小、均匀性和膜稳定性的基本信息，以及对反应机理、各组分的作用以及催化剂对氧气通过膜的传输的直接影响的了解。用场发射扫描电子显微镜和能量色散X射线分析对膜进行了表征。通过在线气相色谱和质谱仪监测甲烷的部分氧化，将测试膜的氧气渗透性和稳定性。广泛影响：使用选择性透氧膜所取得的潜在进展可能使其成为一项可行的技术，用于燃料电池(能源和环境影响)、氧传感器(国土安全)、从氧气中过滤危险成分(国土安全)和制氧系统。

Intellectual Merit:Membrane reactors combine reaction and separation in the same unit and shift the equilibrium and increase yield by removing a product as it is formed. Selective oxygen permeable membranes may be used as selective catalytic reactors for example to make syngas commercially. The PI plans to use photolithographic techniques to fabricate multi-functional catalytic membranes consisting of assembled catalyst clusters on a functioning selective oxygen permeable membrane. The use of photolithography should result in a highly reproducible fabrication process that will reduce the intra-batch and inter-batch variability that is inherent in current catalytic manufacturing techniques. The fabrication process will reduce membrane fabrication cost by producing an automated manufacturing process similar to the wafer fabrication technology employed in the semiconductor industry. The enhancement effects on the oxygen flux through the membrane will provide the technology necessary for selective oxygen permeable membranes to become industrially attractive. The technique could also influence the study of model catalysts by fabricating multi-component, multi-functional heterogeneous catalysts that can be tested and characterized to gain fundamental information about the functionality of each catalyst component. In addition, the successful completion of the project should result in a membrane reactor that can be studied and modeled at bench scale and then scaled-up by making larger membrane wafers or stacks of parallel reactors.Fundamental information about cluster size, uniformity, and membrane stability during processing will be obtained, as well as an understanding of the reaction mechanism, the role of each component, and the direct effect of the catalyst on the oxygen transport through the membrane. The membranes will be characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis. The oxygen permeation and the stability of the membranes will be tested using the partial oxidation of methane monitored with an online gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer.Broad Impact:The potential advances achievable using selective oxygen permeable membranes could make them a viable technology for applications such as hydrogen production for fuel cells (energy and environmental impact), oxygen sensors (homeland security), filtration of hazardous components from an oxygen stream (homeland security), and oxygen generation systems.