Steric Configuration-Controllable Carbon Nanotubes-Integrated SiC Membrane for Ultrafine Particles Filtration

Airborne fine particles have severe effects on abating the duration and efficiency of filters due to their high penetration probability. One-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials-constructed filters show great promise in efficient removal of fine particles. In this work, in situ growth of 1D nanostructure membrane without introducing a transition or sacrificial layer on large-pore SiC support was creatively developed. The controllable growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) can bridge a loose structure on the neighbored SiC particles. This CNTs-constructed hierarchical structure can significantly ameliorate the large pores of the SiC support (SiC pore size similar to 32.9 mu m, CNTs/SiC membrane pore size similar to 15 mu m). By adjusting the CVD parameters, different configurations of CNT membranes were controllably prepared, in which the special structure of the CNT membrane (S-CNTs/SiC) showed a comparatively higher gas permeance of similar to 450 m(3)/(m(2).h.kPa) and fine particle removal efficiency (99.48%). In addition, the S-CNTs/SiC membrane also showed a good long-term filtration performance for fine particles. This work provides a new insight into the preparation of a 1D nanostructure membrane on large-pore ceramic supports high-efficient removal of fine particles.