Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide Membranes via PECVD-Assisted Pre-ceramic Polymer Film Deposition and In Situ Pyrolysis: Fundamental Scientific and Engineering Aspects

This award supports research on the development of advanced ceramic membranes for energy applications. Hydrogen is widely recognized as a clean energy source for national prosperity. Most of the hydrogen in the nation is produced by steam methane reforming in which methane reacts with steam to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen. This process is highly endothermic, requiring a large energy input. Reactive separation technologies play an important role in improving the efficiency of the steam methane reforming process, and asymmetric silicon carbide nanoporous membranes are uniquely suitable for such applications due to their ability to be used in extreme temperature and chemical environments. This research will lead to an efficient and cost-effective manufacturing method for creating these advanced ceramic membranes. These membranes can also be used in water purification applications which are important for national health and prosperity. This award will also promote the progress of science by training the future national STEM workforce by providing educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and by creating K-12 educational modules. This project investigates the use of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition followed by in-situ pyrolysis to synthesize robust asymmetric nanoporous ceramic membranes. Multiple cycles of deposition and in-situ pyrolysis will be used to convert preceramic polymer coatings into dense inorganic selective layers. This multi-cycle method offers several advantages such as lower processing time, higher energy efficiency, and higher quality materials with minimum oxygen content. Moreover, there are no solvents necessary, and the thickness of the layers can be precisely tuned. The deposition process parameters and chemical structures of the precursors will be systematically varied to understand the effects of these parameters on the final ceramic membranes. Experimental work will be conducted alongside multi-scale modeling and molecular simulations to provide a deeper understanding of the complex phenomena that occur during membrane preparation. The fundamental insight gained about the deposition process and the pyrolysis process can be broadly applied to the advanced manufacturing of other organic and inorganic nanoporous membranes for use in a range of separation and filtration applications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2538637 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Malancha Gupta | Institution: University of Southern California, LOS ANGELES, CA | Award Amount: $550,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2538637 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2538637.html