Oxygen selective ceramic hollow fiber membranes

Oxygen ion conducting Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ hollow fiber membranes with o.d. 1.15 mm and i.d. 0.71 mm were fabricated using a sequence of extrusion, gelation, coating and sintering steps. The starting ceramic powder was synthesized by combined EDTA–citrate complexing followed by thermal treatment at 900 °C. The powder was then dispersed in a polymer solution, and extruded through a spinerette. After gelation, an additional thin coating of the ceramic powder was applied on the fiber, and sintering was carried out at 1190 °C to obtain the final ceramic membrane. The fibers were characterized by SEM, and tested for air separation at ambient pressure and at temperatures between 700 and 950 °C. The maximum oxygen flux measured was 5.1 mL/min/cm2 at 950 °C.