Novel, alkali-bonded, ceramic filtration membranes

Ceramic filters allow operations at extreme pressures and pHs, high temperatures, and have longer operating lifetimes. However, costly ceramic filtration systems are often rejected in favor of polymeric filters. The primary cause for the high cost of ceramic filters is the expensive processing which includes powder synthesis and sintering cycles. The goal of our research is to develop a new type of ceramic filter using alkali bonded ceramics (ABCs). In this study, we present an update on our effort to create a ceramic membrane with interconnected porosity of controlled pore size using alkali bonded ceramics. Synthesis of ABC membranes can be separated into four main steps (a) synthesis of nanosize polymeric colloidal particles, (b) preparation of self-assembled templates using polystyrene (PS) nanospheres, (c) intrusion of the template with ABC slurry, which hardens at room temperature, and finally (d) dissolution of the template in a solvent. PS nanospheres of diameters 100 and 300 nanometers were synthesized and self-assembled to form templates of different shapes and sizes. Results on intrusion of ABC slurry into the template formed on a microporous nylon filter paper will be presented.