YSZ-carbonate dual-phase membranes for high temperature carbon dioxide separation

A dense yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-carbonate membrane that was impermeable to gas at low temperature became highly permeable to CO2 at temperature above the melting point of the carbonate. The CO2 permeance across the YSZ-molten carbonate dual-phase membrane was observed to be higher than 0.1 × 10−8 mol/m2/Pa/s at temperature >650 °C. The movement of ions was promoted at high temperature as YSZ and molten carbonate became highly conductive to oxygen ions and carbonate species, respectively. Addition of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) during preparation of macroporous YSZ support created interconnected pore structures that were found conducive for carbonate infiltration and integration with the membrane materials.