Mass transport in thin supported silica membranes

In this thesis multi-component mass transport in thin supported amorphous silica membranes is discussed. These membranes are micro-porous, with pore diameters smaller than 4Å and show high fluxes for small molecules (such as hydrogen) combined with high selectivities for these molecules with respect to larger ones. The chemical and thermal stability of silica membranes are favourable compared to those of organic membranes. These properties make silica membranes interesting candidates for separation of permanent gases in chemically and thermally aggressive environments. The field of membrane science is briefly introduced, with emphasis on the relevance of inorganic membranes for the chemical process industry. Several aspects of supported amorphous micro-porous silica layers are discussed, followed by the project objectives and thesis outline.