Oriented zeolitic layers for membrane separators and reactors

Abstract: The preparation feasibility of zeolite and metal-substituted zeolite composite membranes has been evidenced during the past years. The development is primarily focused on the membrane systems combining separation and catalytic functions. The key questions are: (i) role and nature of crystal orientation and crystal grain boundaries in the zeolite layer, (ii) effect of substrate on zeolite crystal growth, and (iv) influence of incorporation of metal ions into zeolite framework in terms of crystal orientation. The majority of reported zeolite membranes are randomly or partially oriented. The present shortcomings of zeolite membrane preparation are its empirical guidelines. Thus the principal idea of the project is to establish the physico-chemicalrelationships ruling the nucleation and growth of oriented zeolite (MFI, MEL) and metal-substituted (Ti, V) zeolite layers. Another goal is to determine the separation efficiency of the oriented zeolite layers for practical applications.