Preparation, optimization and characterization of low cost ceramics for the fabrication of dense nickel composite membranes

This article addressed a broad research methodology for the development of low cost ceramics to serve as functional supports for dense metal composite membranes. The experimental challenge of this study is to work with laboratory fabricated supports characterized with lower combinations of average pore size (50–70 nm) and lower effective porosity (0.012) and hence lower surface area for activation and plating reaction. Apart from fabrication parameters, the research emphasis has been towards ensuring morphological fitness of the ceramic support, good corrosion resistance and continuous enhancement in pore densification during prolonged nickel electroless plating of about 24 h. Surface and physical characterization using LPSA, BET, FTIR, XRD, FESEM and nitrogen permeation techniques yielded valuable insights. It has been observed that the sonication of the raw membrane support in alkaline conditions enormously contributed towards good corrosion resistance during nickel ELP. The morphological fitness of the ceramic support has been targeted by assuming a combination of Knudsen and Viscous diffusion through the membrane support and activated diffusion through the dense nickel film. Thereby the morphological fitness is ensured by evaluating whether or not nickel film nitrogen flux values are lower than the support fluxes.