Synthesis of Continuous and Dense TAPO-5 Molecular Sieve Membranes by Steam-assisted Gel Conversion Method

TAPO-5 molecular sieve membranes were synthesized by using steam-assisted gel conversion method. The as-synthesized TAPO-5 membranes were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), as well as UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscope (UV-Vis). Results were compared with those by conven- tional hydrothermal crystallization method. The influences of the aging conditions and crystallization time on the sur- face morphology, coverage and denseness of the membrane together with the crystalline structure of molecular sieve crystals were investigated. By using steam-assisted gel conversion method, continuous and dense TAPO-5 molecular sieve membranes could be fabricated on porous -Al2O3 substrates after crystallization for 48 h because the pre-aged solid gel were favorable to the incorporation of Ti atoms into the tetrahedral framework and the intergrowth of TAPO-5 crystals.