Increasing oxygen flux through a dense oxygen permeable membrane by photolithographic patterning of platinum

Currently attainable oxygen flux values through dense, dual conducting mixed metal oxide membranes are not yet sufficient for industrial applications, such as air separation and selective oxidation reactions. However, the addition of a catalyst near the surface of the membrane has been shown to increase the oxygen flux during gas-phase chemical reaction. This study investigated the fabrication of patterned catalyst arrays directly on the surface of dual conducting mixed metal oxide membranes and the ability to use a platinum patterned surface on the oxygen source side to increase the oxygen flux through the membrane. Membrane processing procedures including photolithography and subsequent electron beam evaporation allowed reproducible deposition of metal arrays with specific feature sizes between 3 and 200 μm. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) characterization of the membranes confirmed that the patterning process does not compromise the integrity of the membranes. The deposited catalyst arrays were stable at temperatures up to 800 °C. Placing a platinum patterned membrane surface on the oxygen source side doubled membrane oxygen flux in the temperature range studied.