The Preparation and Characterization of Zeolite LTA Membrane with Microwave-Assisted Method

Abstract

A facial method to prepare zeolite LTA membrane via microwave-assisted heating method was reported. The A-type zeolite seeds were prepared by hydrothermal method from a precursor solution composed of A2O3:SiO2:Na2O:H2O with molar ratio of 1:5:40:1000. The optimized process parameters for synthesizing the zeolite seeds are reaction for 10 min, microwave power of 135 W, and the ratio of H2O/Na2O is 25. Zeolite LTA membrane was prepared via secondary growth method by microwave heating on the silicane and zeolite seed modified ceramic supports. The prepared zeolite seeds and membrane were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the size of the zeolite seeds are in the range of 100-400 nm with regular cubic morphology, and the zeolite membrane have homogeneous thickness of 1.5 μm and perfect morphology without defects and pinholes. The easy operation and controllable process make the zeolite membrane by this method properly have wide application for the gas sensor and devices.