Metallic Membrane—Future Prospect, Research Trends and Applicability

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 July 2023) | Viewed by 3298

Special Issue Editors


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Ente Per Le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: energy efficiency; renewable energy systems; energy saving
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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Energy and Mechanical Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
Interests: hydrogen production; process intensification; palladium; supported membranes; membrane reactor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue entitled “Metallic Membranes: Research Trends, Applicability and Future Prospects” is to explore the current state of the art regarding metallic membrane technologies, including relevant synthesis strategies, recent advancements and the main applications for both porous and dense structures.

Metallic membranes are typically considered for many civil and industrial applications, particularly regarding nuclear fusion reactors and a wide variety of chemical industry processes, due to their relative ability to be coupled in current devices. In general, two different categories can be distinguished related their structure: porous and dense metallic membranes. In both cases, research focuses on new synthesis strategies and their implementation level at the industrial scale, thus ensuring adequate mechanical resistance and stable performance under real operating conditions. New materials and membrane configurations are conceived to reduce supply and manufacturing costs, whilst increasing the reliability and lifetime of final use devices and also considering environmental concerns. Moreover, novel system configurations for process improvements are demonstrated to increase their performance and economic sustainability.

Under this general perspective, the scope of the current Special Issue is to provide new insights on both novel technologies and system optimization to promote the use of metallic membranes in multiple cases, including both laboratory- and industrial-scale applications. Their applications cover the chemical and energy industries, with a special mention to developing promising nuclear fusion reactors, although device conception and system optimization will be also key aspects to take into account. The submission of original research articles, reviews, industrial cases, and short communications is welcomed and encouraged.

Dr. Giacomo Bruni
Dr. David Alique
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • metallic membranes
  • gas separation
  • hydrogen production
  • hydrogen purification
  • process intensification
  • nuclear fusion reactor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 7939 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Trimetallic Nanoparticle (NiCoPd)-Supported Carbon Nanofibers as a Catalyst for NaBH4 Hydrolysis
by Ahmed Abutaleb, Ibrahim M. Maafa, Nasser Zouli, Ayman Yousef and M. M. El-Halwany
Membranes 2023, 13(9), 783; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13090783 - 7 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
The generation of H2 via the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (SBH) has promise as a practical and secure approach to produce H2, a secure and environmentally friendly energy source for the foreseeable future. In this study, distinctive trimetallic NiCoPd [...] Read more.
The generation of H2 via the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (SBH) has promise as a practical and secure approach to produce H2, a secure and environmentally friendly energy source for the foreseeable future. In this study, distinctive trimetallic NiCoPd nanoparticle-supported carbon nanofibers (NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs) is synthesized via sol-gel and electrospinning approaches. The fabricated trimetallic catalysts show an excellent catalytic performance for the generation of H2 from the hydrolysis of SBH. Standard physicochemical techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs. The results show that NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs is formed, with an average particle size of about 21 nm. When compared to NiCo bimetallic NP @CNFS, all NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs formulations demonstrated greater catalytic activates for the hydrolysis of SBH. The improved catalytic activity may be due in the majority to the synergistic interaction between the three metals in the trimetallic architecture. Furthermore, the activation energy for the catalytic hydrolysis of SBH by the NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs was determined to be 16.30 kJ mol−1. The kinetics studies show that the reaction is of a first order with respect to the catalyst loading amount and a half order with respect to the SBH concentration [SBH]. Full article
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12 pages, 1568 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Analysis of a Pd–Ag Membrane Unit for Hydrogen Isotope Recovery in a Solid Blanket
by Vincenzo Narcisi, Luca Tamborrini, Luca Farina, Gessica Cortese, Francesco Romanelli and Alessia Santucci
Membranes 2023, 13(6), 578; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13060578 - 1 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1402
Abstract
The interest of the fusion community in Pd–Ag membranes has grown in the last decades due to the high value of hydrogen permeability and the possibility of continuous operation, making it a promising technology when a gaseous stream of hydrogen isotopes must be [...] Read more.
The interest of the fusion community in Pd–Ag membranes has grown in the last decades due to the high value of hydrogen permeability and the possibility of continuous operation, making it a promising technology when a gaseous stream of hydrogen isotopes must be recovered and separated from other impurities. This is the case of the Tritium Conditioning System (TCS) of the European fusion power plant demonstrator, called DEMO. This paper presents an experimental and numerical activity aimed at (i) assessing the Pd–Ag permeator performance under TCS-relevant conditions, (ii) validating a numerical tool for scale-up purposes, and (iii) carrying out a preliminary design of a TCS based on Pd–Ag membranes. Experiments were performed by feeding the membrane with a He–H2 gas mixture in a specific feed flow rate ranging from 85.4 to 427.2 mol h−1 m−2. A satisfactory agreement between experiments and simulations was obtained over a wide range of compositions, showing a root mean squared relative error of 2.3%. The experiments also recognized the Pd–Ag permeator as a promising technology for the DEMO TCS under the identified conditions. The scale-up procedure ended with a preliminary sizing of the system, relying on multi-tube permeators with an overall number ranging between 150 and 80 membranes in lengths of 500 and 1000 mm each. Full article
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