Synthesis of high performance Silicalite-1 zeolite membranes

Synthesis of high performance Silicalite-1 zeolite membranes on silica tubes was first reported in this paper. After two-step in-situ hydrothermal synthesis, well intergrown Silicalite-1 zeolite membranes were synthesized on silica tubes after aging at 75 degrees C for 12 h. The Silicalite-1 zeolite membranes were characterized by SEM. The separation performance towards ethanol/water mixtures was evaluated by pervaporation. With temperature increasing, the flux of S-1 membrane, increased from 0.2 kg (.) m(-2) (.) h(-1) at 30 degrees C to ca. 1.0 kg (.) m(-2) (.) h(-1) at 80 degrees C, while the separation factor decreased from 110 to 89. These results showed that silica supports may be more suitable for preparing high performance Silicalite-1 membranes.