No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
High throughput, asymmetric carbon membranes derived from pyrolysis of polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) have been fabricated on a novel support composed of porous stainless steel filled with nanoparticles. Variation of PFA molecular weight was found to have a significant impact on the single gas permeances of the resultant carbon membranes. High molecular weight precursor material yielded the best results; oxygen permeance values for membranes synthesized from high molecular weight resins were on the order of ∼1×10−8 mol m−2s−1Pa−1 with oxygen over nitrogen ideal selectivities greater than 7. Binary separations of hydrogen from nitrogen and hydrogen from carbon monoxide were carried out using a NPC membrane synthesized from high molecular weight precursor material. For both separations, hydrogen purities of better than 99% by volume were obtained in the permeate stream.