Research Progress on Microstructure Evolution and Hydrogen Permeability of Cold-Rolled Hydrogen Separation Alloy Membranes

The VB group refractory metals (Nb, V, Ta) have higher hydrogen permeability and lower price than commercial Pd, so they have become a new generation of preferred hydrogen separation membrane materials to replace palladium. In order to prepare high flux hydrogen separation alloy membrane on a large scale, the ingot alloy is firstly cold rolled to obtain large size flat membrane, and then the flux efficiency of alloy membrane is improved by annealing treatment to improve permeability. In this paper, research progress on cold rolling formability, microstructure evolution and hydrogen permeability of alloys during rolling and subsequent annealing are reviewed, the composition effect of cold rolling film formation is analyzed, and the relationships between microstructures and permeability of cast, cold rolled and annealed alloys are described. The problems of developing high flux hydrogen separation alloy membranes by rolling and subsequent annealing are discussed. Finally, the future of cold rolling and subsequent annealing for realizing the large-scale production of low thickness and high permeability hydrogen separation alloy membranes at low cost is prospected. © 2023 Rare Metals Materials and Engineering Press. All rights reserved.