Membrane assembly for gas separation, method for producing the membrane assembly and method of separating gases
AssigneeUniversité De Fribourg
InventorsTimur Ashirov, Ali Coskun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention concerns gas-separation membranes. In some embodiments, the membranes comprise nano- or microislands or non-continuous metal layers suitable to adsorb, react with and/or otherwise retain at least one of the gases to be separated from a mixture of gases. In one embodiment, the membrane comprises a porous graphene membrane on which Pt or Pd nanoislands are deposited using a mesh, while the nanoislands are suitable to retain and bind to H2 while letting helium pass in a H2/He gas mixture. In another embodiment CO2 is separated from a H2/CO2 mixture. The membranes exhibit both, high selectivity and permeance and can be operated at room temperature.
Claims22
A gas-separation membrane assembly comprising a porous membrane and a gas-affinity material deposited on the porous membrane,
- wherein said gas-affinity material is non-continuously deposited so as to form separated, raised areas of said gas-affinity material, wherein said separated raised areas are operatively deposited on said porous membrane to adsorb, absorb and/or dissolve a first gas to be separated from a mixture of gases comprising said first gas and at least a second gas, wherein said porous membrane is permeable to said second gas, such that said gas-separation membrane is suitable to separate said first gas from said second gas by adsorbing, absorbing and/or dissolving said first gas and thereby preventing said first gas from passing through said gas-separation assembly, and
- wherein said gas-affinity material does not adsorb, absorb and/or dissolve said second gas, or does adsorb, absorb and/or dissolve said second gas to a lesser extent than said first gas.
A method for separating one or more gases from a mixture of gases, the method comprising:
- exposing the mixture of gases to a first side of a gas-separation membrane assembly comprising a porous membrane and a gas-affinity material deposited on the porous membrane, wherein said gas-affinity material is non-continuously deposited, wherein said gas-affinity material is suitable to adsorb, absorb and/or dissolve a first gas to be separated from said mixture of gases,
- collecting one or more gases that are separated from the mixture of gases on a second side of the membrane assembly,
- wherein said mixture of gases comprises said first gas and a second gas, wherein said gas-affinity material adsorbs, absorbs and/or dissolves said first gas, wherein said porous membrane is permeable to said second gas, wherein said second gas is collected on said second side of the membrane assembly, and
- wherein said gas-separation membrane is suitable to separate said first gas from said second gas by adsorbing, absorbing and/or dissolving said first gas and thereby preventing said first gas from passing through said gas-separation assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.