Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Nano-sized DD3R Zeolite Powder in Thin DD3R Membrane Synthesis of thin DD3R membrane

M. Vaezi, M. G. Geranbaha, S. M. Moghimi and A. A. Babaluo

Abstract
DD3R zeolite powder was synthesized within a brief period using tetramethyl orthosilicate through a sonochemical method combined with hydrothermal treatment. The highest crystallinity with average particle size of 47 nm was achieved within five days. This nano-sized powder was used for seeding the surface of a support modified with TiO2-Boehmite, facilitating the synthesis of a thin (less than 5 µm) and uniform DD3R zeolite layer. The resulting membrane exhibited perm-selectivities of N2 and CO2 over CH4 that were 3 and 4 times greater than those reported in literature. The surface modification of the synthesized layer using a polydimethylsiloxane solution further improved the perm-selectivity of N2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 by up to 12 and 260, respectively. The straightforward synthesis of the initial layer before modification positively influenced the perm-selectivity of N2/CH4, achieving a three-fold increase compared to similar works in the literature.

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Keywords
DD3R zeolite powder, sonochemical method, hydrothermal treatment, nano-sized powder, surface modification, perm-selectivity