Is a new hydrogen fuel purification membrane paving the door for a more environmentally friendly future?

 


For a variety of reasons, hydrogen has been heralded as the "future fuel." Hydrogen, for starters, has a larger energy yield than the commonly used hydrocarbons. Second, by eliminating the use of exhaustible and polluting fossil fuels, the commercial usage of hydrogen fuel, which produces only water as a byproduct, could assist to address the impending global warming issue. As a result, ongoing research has focused on more efficient and environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel production methods.

Hydrogen is a clean fuel source, but purification has been difficult up until recently. Now, a group of scientists has figured out a way to filter hydrogen from other gases by describing a hybrid separation membrane. In view of the present global warming dilemma, the researchers are hopeful that their new membrane will make hydrogen fuel use more efficient and cost-effective.

The researchers first created an organic-inorganic hybrid polymeric membrane, which was principally made up of a polymer termed "polycarbosilane" (PCS) produced on a porous substrate made of aluminum oxide (Al2O3). "We demonstrated that a superhydrophobic PCS membrane could be deposited on a mesoporous -Al2O3-modified macroporous -Al2O3 tubular support by utilizing high-molecular-weight PCSs with a melting point above 200°C.

The researchers tested the PCS membrane under PEC reaction settings after successfully creating it. The PCS membrane has a high hydrophobicity, as predicted. Furthermore, the PCS membrane demonstrated remarkable hydrogen selectivity under the flow of a simulated very humid gas combination at 50°C. The "solid-state diffusion" process governed preferred hydrogen penetration through the PCS membrane, according to further investigation. Overall, the PCS membrane demonstrated excellent hydrogen gas separation regardless of the ambient environmental conditions.

With the creation and characterization of this new PCS membrane, it is unavoidable that its commercialization will not only facilitate the use of hydrogen fuel for energy needs but will also reduce the usage of non-renewable fossil fuels.

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