The fabrication and characterization of functional membranes based upon mesoporous silica is an area of increasing interest. By adaptation of the seeded hydrothermal growth, the fabricated MCM-48 membranes have low defect density and high gas fluxes, and they are formed on the top of support with little silica infiltration. Nitrogen physisorption of intact MCM-48 membranes indicated that the seeded membrane has a larger pore volume and surface area available for permeation and modification to tailor selectivity compared to MCM-48 membranes prepared without seed layer. The obtained MCM-48 membranes are silylated with hexamethyldisilazane to tailor the surface properties of the membrane. The silylated MCM-48 membranes are selective for organic molecules in aqueous organic solutions, whereas the unmodified membranes are significantly selective for water. The good separation performance in organic/water mixtures is attributed to the hydrophobic nature of the silylated pores and the preferential adsorption of the organics in the membrane.

Seeded growth, silylation, and organics/water separation properties of MCM-48 membranes

245th National Meeting (2013)

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