MFI-type zeolite membranes (ZSM-5) were prepared on α-alumina tubular supports and tested for separation of H2/CO mixtures. The effect of pressure and temperature on H2 and CO flows and selectivity was investigated. The best results in this work were obtained with a ZSM-5 membrane prepared over a porous α-alumina tube seeded with zeolite nanocrystals synthesized with m...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were incorporated into alumina/polyethersulfone hollow fibre membranes to enhance the mechanical property and the efficiency of water treatment. Results show that the incorporation of CNTs can greatly limit the formation of large surface pores, decrease the void size in support layers and improve the porosity and pore connectivity of alumina/polyethersulfone membranes. A...

Solidification of cryolite (Na3AlF6)-based bath takes place at different rates along the sideledge, and around alumina rafts and new anodes. The solidification rate has a significant impact on the structure and the chemical composition that determine the thermal conductivity and thus the thickness of sideledge, or the duration of the existence of the temporary frozen bath layers in other cases....

The yield stress-DLVO force relationship is obeyed by α-Al2O3 and alumina-coated TiO2 dispersions with adsorbed polyacrylate only if the yield stress and its corresponding zeta potential data were collected in the positively charged region. In this region, the underlying surface positive charge density of the particles exceeds the negative charge density of the polyacrylate. At this state the a...

The oxidation kinetics of alumina-forming metals can be affected by adding a small amount of a reactive (normally rare earth) element oxide (RExOy) and the segregation of the reactive element (RE) ions to the growing alumina grain boundaries (GBs) has been considered as a responsible reason. However, this interpretation remains a controversial issue as to how RE ions are produced by RExOy which...

In this thesis multi-component mass transport in thin supported amorphous silica membranes is discussed. These membranes are micro-porous, with pore diameters smaller than 4Å and show high fluxes for small molecules (such as hydrogen) combined with high selectivities for these molecules with respect to larger ones. The chemical and thermal stability of silica membranes are favourable compared t...

A zeolite NaA (LTA) membrane supported by an alumina porous support tube was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance method (FTIR-ATR) with a diamond prism as the waveguide. A method using the FTIR-ATR was developed to estimate rapidly the EtOH/H2O pervaporation (PV) performance of the membrane. The Si-O asymmetric stretching vibration region of LTA membrane spe...

Ceramic membranes were fabricated by in situ synthesis of alumina nanofibres in the pores of an alumina support as a separation layer, and exhibited a high permeation selectivity for bovine serum albumin relative to bovine hemoglobin (over 60 times) and can effectively retain DNA molecules at high fluxes.

The room temperature oxidation of betulin by Cr(VI) compounds in aqueous acetone on solid supports such as alumina, zeolites and silica gel has been studied. The oxidation on alumina support leaded to a single product--betulonic acid--in quantitative yield. One hundred percent selective oxidation during 30 min of betulin up to betulonic aldehyde was determined when silica gel support was used. ...