Nano-Fabricated Hydrogen Separation Membranes

78730B The efficient and inexpensive production of hydrogen is essential for the hydrogen economy to become realized in the U.S. For the foreseeable future, most hydrogen will be produced from fossil fuels using a variety of processes. In order to fully utilize the hydrogen, efficient and inexpensive separation methods will be required. This project will develop a highly selective membrane for hydrogen separation from fossil-fuel-derived gas streams. In particular, zeolite membranes will be modified, in a controlled manner at the nanoscale, to obtain membranes which exhibit both high selectivity and high flux rates. In Phase, zeolite membranes will be prepared and then modified using controlled, nanoscale techniques. The transport properties of the resulting, modified membranes will be evaluated to determine the utility of the proposed approach. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The Nano-Fabricated Hydrogen Separation Membranes should allow for the production of a highly pure hydrogen stream at high flux rates from hydrogen-containing mixed-gas streams. Of particular interest is its use in distributed, hydrogen production systems that will operate on fossil fuels or biomass-derived gaseous or liquid fuels. The technology should help the transition to the hydrogen economy in the U.S.