Membrane Technology for on-Board Inert Gas Generation Units on Aircrafts and Space Vessels

Membranes allow precise size-based separation between similarly sized molecules in a mixture and have found applications in both liquid (e.g., water treatment/desalination) and gas separation (e.g., carbon capture, natural gas upgrading). Compared to traditional thermal-based separation processes, membranes provide an energy-efficient solution to O₂/N₂ separation, and the design of appropriate membrane materials and processes could lead to the development of continuous, modular systems. My research focuses on developing a completely new strategy to fabricate CMS membranes using microwave irradiation with the goal of increasing the O2 productivity of the membranes, while still retaining attractive O2/N2 selectivity. This research is focused on the development of advanced membranes for modular on-board inert gas generation (OBIGGS) units on aircrafts/spaceships, as this can be used by NASA for flammability reduction. Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes are a promising class of membrane materials, however, there exists opportunities to further improve the productivities of these membranes. This current research project branches from the continuing research within the molecular transport and separations lab focusing on the novel strategy of microwave-assisted decomposition, targeted for the very important O2/N2 separation.