Ceramic Membranes: Preparation, Modification and Multidisciplinary Applications

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications for Other Areas".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1812

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Sustainable Process Engineering Centre (SPEC), Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Interests: membrane technology; solid oxide fuel cell; microbial fuel cell; water treatment; wastewater treatment; environmental technology

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Interests: gas processing technology; fuel processing technology; separation and purification process
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Guest Editor
Materials Sector, School of Chemical Engineering, NTUA, Zographou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
Interests: membranes; phase transformations; composites; cultural heritage materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ceramic membranes have long been recognised as a robust and adaptable class of technologies, valued for their exceptional thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability. Traditionally, they have been widely applied in water and wastewater treatment, gas separation, and related processes, where their durability and resistance to harsh environments have provided a clear advantage over polymeric alternatives.

In recent years, however, ceramic membrane research has moved decisively beyond these conventional roles. The development of nanostructured and hybrid materials, together with advances in catalytic and electrochemical integration, has opened new avenues in energy and environmental applications. Ceramic membranes are now being explored as enabling components in solid oxide fuel and electrolysis cells, as well as in membrane reactors for the production of hydrogen, syngas, and methanol. Their potential in CO2 separation, capture, and utilisation pathways further highlights their importance in addressing climate and sustainability challenges. Alongside these technological advances, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital modelling tools is beginning to transform the way ceramic membranes are designed, optimised, and assessed for large-scale deployment.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together contributions that reflect both the established strengths of ceramic membranes and their modern, emerging roles in energy and environmental sustainability. Submissions are invited that highlight advances in materials science, innovative applications, and system-level integration. Both original research papers and comprehensive reviews are welcome. Topics of interest include the following:

  • Novel fabrication, modification, and characterisation of ceramic membranes.
  • Ceramic membranes in fuel cells and electrolysis systems.
  • Catalytic and electrochemical membrane reactors for sustainable fuel production.
  • Ceramic membranes for CO2 separation, capture, and utilisation.
  • AI-driven design, modelling, and sustainability assessments of ceramic membrane applications.

Dr. Mohamad Fairus Rabuni
Dr. Mohd Usman Mohd Junaidi
Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Beltsios
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ceramic membranes
  • membrane reactors
  • fuel cells and electrolysis
  • CO2 capture and utilization
  • AI-driven membrane design

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 5659 KB  
Article
Development of High-Performance Catalytic Ceramic Membrane Microchannel Reactor for Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol
by Aubaid Ullah, Nur Awanis Hashim, Mohamad Fairus Rabuni, Mohd Usman Mohd Junaidi, Ammar Ahmed, Mustapha Grema Mohammed and Muhammed Sahal Siddique
Membranes 2026, 16(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes16010045 - 17 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1333
Abstract
Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol in a traditional reactor (TR) with catalytic packed bed faces the challenge of lower reactant conversion due to thermodynamic limitations. On the contrary, membrane reactors selectively remove reaction products, enhancing the conversion, but it [...] Read more.
Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol in a traditional reactor (TR) with catalytic packed bed faces the challenge of lower reactant conversion due to thermodynamic limitations. On the contrary, membrane reactors selectively remove reaction products, enhancing the conversion, but it is still limited, and existing designs face challenges of structural integrity and scale-up complications. Therefore, for the first time, a ceramic membrane microchannel reactor (CMMR) system was developed with 500 µm deep microchannels, incorporated with catalytic membrane for CO2 conversion to methanol. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations confirmed the uniform flow distribution among the microchannels. A catalytic LTA zeolite membrane was synthesized with thin layer (~45 µm) of Cu-ZnO-Al2O3 catalyst coating and tested at a temperature of 220 °C and 3.0 MPa pressure. The results showed a significantly higher CO2 conversion of 82%, which is approximately 10 times higher than TR and 3 times higher than equilibrium conversion while 1.5 times higher than conventional tubular membrane reactor. Additionally, methanol selectivity and yield were achieved as 51.6% and 42.3%, respectively. The research outputs showed potential of replacing the current industrial process of methanol synthesis, addressing the Sustainable Development Goals of SDG-7, 9, and 13 for clean energy, industry innovation, and climate action, respectively. Full article
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