Preparation and Properties of Asymmetric Porous Aluminium-Oxide Ceramic Hollow Fibre Membranes

Abstract

Asymmetric porous aluminium-oxide ceramic hollow fibre membranes have been prepared by the phase inversion / sintering technique. The effect of non-solvent such as ethanol, isopropanol and ethylene glycol monomethylether(2-methoxyethanol) on the geometry and performance of hollow fibres was investigated. Morphologies of Al2O3 ceramic hollow fibre membranes were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The effective porosity and the mechanical strength were determined by Archimedes method, and three point method, respectively. The prepared Al2O3 hollow fibre membranes show the asymmetric structure with a finger-like layer and a sponge-like layer. The effective porosity of the prepared hollow fibre membranes exceeds 47%, and the bending strength of the hollow membranes exceeds 63 MPa. The Al2O3 hollow fibre membranes with moderate permeation characteristics for gas and pure water are prepared by the introduction of nonsolvent in membrane casting solution. The separation factors of H2 to N2 or CO2 of the hollow fibers with nonsolvent are over 2.0.