On stability and performance of highly c-oriented columnar AlPO4-5 and CoAPO-5 membranes

[EN] Continuous films comprised of highly c-oriented aluminophosphate AlPO4-5 or cobalt-substituted AlPO4-5 (CoAPO-5) were grown on porous supports and subjected to heat treatment in order to investigate the potential for membrane applications. A study in the early stages of in-plane crystalline intergrowth revealed a potential mechanism for flake-like crystal formation between the original oriented columnar crystals. Variations in metal substitution (AlPO4-5, CoAPO-5), support (glass, silicon, porous alumina), and calcination method (conventional, rapid thermal processing) were chosen to examine the conditions by which structural integrity was compromised following secondary (or tertiary) growth, resulting in reduced membrane functionality. Through the use of rapid thermal processing, the structure debilitation could be partially avoided. The membrane quality was inspected through pervaporation measurements consisting of a liquid hydrocarbon feed of n-heptane and 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene. By investigating the effect of template removal on the oriented, columnar crystalline structure, useful insight is provided into the potential for the membranes to participate in applications such as molecular separations, catalysis, or host-guest assemblies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Support by the American Chemical Society (ACS-PRF) and the European Community through the FP7 NextGTL project and a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (FP7, Grant agreement No. 210947) is greatly appreciated. M.P. thanks CSIC for a JAE doctoral fellowship. We would like to thank Kumar Varoon for assistance with membrane sectioning and imaging using the focused ion beam technique. Parts of this work were carried out in the Characterization Facility on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, which receives partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program.Stoeger, JA.; Veziri, CM.; Palomino Roca, M.; Corma Canós, A.; Kanellopoulos, NK.; Tsapatsis, M.; Karanikolos, GN. (2012). On stability and performance of highly c-oriented columnar AlPO4-5 and CoAPO-5 membranes. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 147(1):286-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2011.06.028286294147