Membrane material selection inorganic phase

Gas/vapor phase modifications. Many inorganic membrane materials display functional groups that have chemical affinity to selected chemical agents. A well known example is a gamma-alumina membrane which has hydroxyl groups on the surfaces of the alumina crystallites. These hydroxyl groups present on the pore walls and the macroscopic surface of the membrane can act as the reactive sites for modifications of the pore structure with a chemical agent such as the diversified family of silane compounds (chloro- or alkoxy>silanes). 

JW and JS stand for the solvent and solute membrane flux, respectively. A and B are the parameters related with the nature of the membrane material. AP, AX and AC, stand for the pressure difference, the osmotic pressure difference and the solute concentration difference between inside and outside of the membrane, respectively. The basic principle is to use the selective permeability of polymer membrane and the driving force of the concentration gradient, pressure gradient, the osmotic pressure gradient to transfer mass between the membrane inter-phase to achieve separation and purification of different components. Inorganic salts can pass through NF membrane. The osmotic pressure of NF membrane is lower than the RO membrane. 

Some bead materials possess porous structure and, therefore, have very high surface to volume ratio. The examples include silica-gel, controlled pore glass, and zeolite beads. These inorganic materials are made use of to design gas sensors. Indicators are usually adsorbed on the surface and the beads are then dispersed in a permeation-selective membrane (usually silicone rubbers). Such sensors possess high sensitivity to oxygen and a fast response in the gas phase but can be rather slow in the aqueous phase since the gas contained in the pores needs to be exchanged. Porous polymeric materials are rarer and have not been used so far in optical nanosensors. 

The membranes used are typically composed of cross-linked silicones and are suitable for on-line monitoring of volatile organic and inorganic compounds [93-94]. An alternative material is microporous PTFE, which has more rapid responses as well as lower selectivities and higher fluxes of the mobile phase compared to nonporous silicone membranes. More recently, developments in membrane introduction systems include the use of liquid membranes composed, for example, of a polyphenyl ether diffusion pump fluid [95-96]. This membrane has the advantage that it can take any desirable analyte and the selectivity can be modified using appropriate reagents. 

There are some excellent review articles on different aspects of mesostructured materials, such as synthesis, properties, and applications. " Extensive research effort has been devoted to the exploitation of new phases (lamellar, cubic, hexagonal structures), expansion of the pore sizes (about 2-50 nm are accessible), and variable framework compositions (from pure silica, through mixed metal oxides to purely metal oxide-based frameworks, and inorganic-organic hybrid mesostructures). Another research focus is on the formation of mesostructured materials in other morphologies than powders, e.g. monolithic materials and films, which are required for a variety of applications including, but not limited to, sensors (based on piezoelectric mass balances or surface acoustic wave devices), catalyst supports, (size- and shape-selective) filtration membranes or (opto)electronic devices. The current article is focused... 

MMMs consist of an inorganic or inorganic-organic hybrid material in the form of micro or nanoparticles (discrete phase) incorporated into a polymeric matrix. Use of two materials with different flux and selectivity provides the possibility to design a better gas separation membrane, allowing the synergistic combination of polymers, with easy processability and the superior gas-separation performance of inorganic materials. 

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