title: Morphology and N₂ Permeance of Sputtered Pd-Ag Ultra-Thin Film Membranes.
abstract: The influence of the temperature during the growth of Pd-Ag films by PVD magnetron sputtering onto polished silicon wafers was studied in order to avoid the effect of the support roughness on the layer growth. The surfaces of the Pd-Ag membrane films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the results indicate an increase of the grain size from 120 to 250-270 nm and film surface roughness from 4-5 to 10-12 nm when increasing the temperature from around 360-510 K. After selecting the conditions for obtaining the smallest grain size onto silicon wafer, thin Pd-Ag (0.5-2-µm thick) films were deposited onto different types of porous supports to study the influence of the porous support, layer thickness and target power on the selective layer microstructure and membrane properties. The Pd-Ag layers deposited onto ZrO₂ 3-nm top layer supports (smallest pore size among all tested) present high N₂ permeance in the order of 10(-6) mol·m(-2)·s(-1)·Pa(-1) at room temperature.
authors.affiliation: Energy and Environment Division, TECNALIA, Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain. ekain.fernandez@tecnalia.com.|Chemical Process Intensification, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, De Rondom 70 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands. ekain.fernandez@tecnalia.com.
authors.forename: Ekain
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Energy and Environment Division, TECNALIA, Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain. jangel.sanchez@tecnalia.com.
authors.forename: Jose Angel
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Garcia
authors.affiliation: Energy and Environment Division, TECNALIA, Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain. joseluis.viviente@tecnalia.com.
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Viviente
authors.affiliation: Chemical Process Intensification, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, De Rondom 70 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands. M.v.SintAnnaland@tue.nl.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Sint Annaland
authors.affiliation: Chemical Process Intensification, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, De Rondom 70 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands. F.Gallucci@tue.nl.
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gallucci
authors.affiliation: Energy and Environment Division, TECNALIA, Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain. alfredo.pacheco@tecnalia.com.
authors.forename: David A Pacheco
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D015040:Zirconium
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012834:Silver; D010165:Palladium; D015040:Zirconium; C028541:zirconium oxide; D012825:Silicon
keywords: H2 separation; PVD magnetron sputtering; film growth mechanisms; palladium-silver alloy; ultra-thin film