Currently zeolites have seen applications in gas separation, membrane reactors, water desalination, and solid state batteries.
[2] Currently zeolite membranes have yet to be widely implemented commercially due to key issues including low flux, high cost of production, and defects in the crystal structure.
The In Situ method involves Zeolite membranes being formed on microporous supports of various materials, typically aluminum oxide or stainless steel.
Other factors of this solution can affect the formation of the zeolite membrane including: pH, Ionic Strength, temperature, and the addition of structure-determining reagents .
[3] Zeolite membranes drew initial interest as a separation method due to their high thermal and chemical stabilities.
Knudsen diffusion takes place when molecules are momentarily adsorbed to the pore wall and are then reflected off the surface in a random direction.
The ability of zeolite membranes to adsorb certain molecules to its surface under varying conditions allows for researchers to perform highly selective separations.
[6] The natural gas industry has seen the introduction of zeolite membranes for the separation of methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen gasses.
Zeolites provide the advantage of thermal stability and higher selectivity when compared to polymer membranes that have typically been used for these purposes.
Zeolites have not been implemented for industrial water desalination purposes primarily due to their high cost when compared to traditional reverse osmosis membranes.