High-purity hydrogen generation in a microfabricated 23 wt % Ag-Pd membrane device integrated with 8:1 LaNi_0.95Co_0.05O ₃/ Al₂O₃ catalyst

The first experimental verification of high purity hydrogen generation by combining 20 nm hydrogen-permeable 23 wt % Ag-Pd films with a complex oxide catalyst for methanol reforming in micromembrane devices, was investigated. An initial experiment was performed using an uncoated Ag-Pd film to observe the effects of methanol adsorption on the film permselectivity. The catalyst, LaNi_0.95Co_0.05O₃, was synthesize using co-precipitation techniques, milled and mixed in methanol with Al ₂O₃ as a coating and binder materials. Investigations of device performance over a range of oxygen-methanol ratios at a constant membrane temperature of 400°C led to the highest extracted hydrogen yield of 32.4% at an oxygen-to-fuel ratio of 0.43. It was observed that improvements in methanol conversion and available throughputs and therefore overall hydrogen production, can be achieved by packing the membrane channel with additional catalyst.