ULTRATHIN METAL MEMBRANES

THIS PROGRAM FOCUSES ON THE PREPARATION TECHNIQUE OF A NEW TYPE OF ULTRATHIN METAL MEMBRANE MADE BY A METAL SPUTTERING TECHNIQUE. PREVIOUS RESULTS OBTAINED AT MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH, INC. (MTR) SUGGEST THESE MEMBRANES MAY HAVE REMARKABLE PROPERTIES. THE MEMBRANES ARE EXTREMELY THIN, IN THE RANGE 300-600 A. BECAUSE THEY ARE SO THIN, USEFUL FLUXES OF PERMEABLE GASES SUCH AS HYDROGEN CAN BE OBTAINED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. THE BEST OF THESE MEMBRANES IS UP TO 10 TIMES MORE PERMEABLE TO HYDROGENAND SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SELECTIVE TO HYDROGEN OVER OTHER GASES THAN THE BEST CURRENTLY AVAILABLE POLYMERIC MEMBRANES. HIGHER SELECTIVITIES WOULD BE ACHIEVABLE IF THE MEMBRANES COULD BE MADE DEFECT-FREE. THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES DEVELOPMENT OF A TECHNIQUE FOR DEPOSITING ULTRATHIN METAL FILMS ON POLYMERIC SUPPORTS. THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT WORK WILL PRINCIPALLY BE PERFORMED USING PALLADIUM SILVER ALLOYS AS A MODEL MEMBRANE MATERIAL. IF RESOURCES PERMIT, SOME WORK WILL BE PERFORMED WITH OTHER METALS, SUCH AS SILVER. POLYMER/METAL COMPOSITE MEMBRANES THAT COMBINE HIGH SELECTIVITY WITH HIGH FLUX WOULD BE AN ENTIRELY NEW CLASS OF SEPARATION MEMBRANES. IN THE PHASE I PROGRAM, THE FEASIBILITY OF A CONTROLLED TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING METAL MEMBRANES WILL BE DETERMINED. IN THE PHASE II PROGRAM, MEMBRANE MODULES WILL BE ASSEMBLED AND EVALUATED IN A TEST SYSTEM.