Streamlining manufacture of high-performance SiC catalytic membrane using bifunctional precursors for multipollutant control

Abstract

SiC catalytic membrane holds great promise in controlling high-temperature nitric oxide (NO) and particulate matter (PM), but its complex fabrication process limits its potential for practical application. We present a novel, rapid fabrication route, based on co-sintering and acid treatment (CSAT), for the fabrication of Co3O4-loaded SiC (A-Co-SiC) catalytic membranes. Our approach involves using functional activated carbons and Co2O3 for the simultaneous sintering of both the support and separation layers at a lower temperature. The CSAT approach eliminates particle penetration into the support layer and accelerates the generation of active Co3O4 nanoparticles on Co2SiO4. This reduces the number of fabrication steps from 9 to 5, resulting in over a 50% reduction in both energy consumption and sintering time. The resulting A-Co-SiC catalytic membrane exhibits remarkable gas permeance of 224.51 m3 m−2 h−1·kPa−1, superior NO oxidation efficiency (85% at 280 °C), and a high PM2.5 filtration efficiency of 99.97% - the highest simultaneous removal of NO and PM2.5 reported to date. The manufacturing method developed in our work offers a practical and efficient solution for producing SiC catalytic membranes that can be utilized in various integrated emission filtration systems in industrial settings, with the potential to be adapted to other ceramic systems.