Method for producing a gas separation membrane

1 . A method for the manufacture of ceramic gas separation membranes that comprises:

deposition on a porous support (i), by means of an inkjet printer, of at least one functional separation layer (ii) comprising at least two inks,

at least one thermal treatment, which produces sintering of the functional separation layer (ii), and

deposition of at least one porous catalytic activation layer (iii) on the functional separation layer (ii).

2 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising at least the following steps:

(a) forming of a porous support (i); compatible with the functional separation layer (ii),

(b) deposition on the porous support (i), by means of the inkjet printer, of at least one functional separation layer (ii) made up of at least two inks and deposition of at least one porous layer of catalytic activation (iii) on the functional separation layer (ii) and

(c) at least one thermal treatment, which produces sintering,

wherein the functional separation layer (ii) is deposited in a way that gives rise to a surface:

with fadings, or

with patterns, or

with combinations of both.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , comprising applying:

a porous catalytic layer (iv), between the porous support (i) and the functional separation layer (ii),

a compositional damping porous interlayer (v), between the porous support (i) and the catalytic porous layer (iv), and

an additional non-porous layer (vi) of protection-between the functional separation layer (ii) and the porous catalytic activation layer (iii),

using a technique selected from dip coating, spin coating, roller coating or screen printing; physical vapor deposition, sputtering, electron beam, atomizing; airbrushing; spraying of suspensions; and/or thermal projection (thermal spraying), including plasma spraying and spray pyrolysis, 3D printing, stereolithography, injection, inkjet printing and combinations thereof.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step, wherein a porous catalytic layer (iv) located between the porous support (i) and the functional separation layer (ii) is deposited.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprising a step wherein a porous compositional damping interlayer (v) is deposited between the porous support (i) and a porous catalytic layer (iv).

6 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising the deposition of an additional non-porous layer (vi) of protection between the functional separation layer (ii) and a porous catalytic activation layer (iii).

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein a set of inks that give rise to the additional non-porous layer (vi) comprises at least:

a) an inorganic solid,

b) a liquid component and

c) a conditioning additive.

8 . The method according to claim 6 wherein layers (iv), (v) and each of the layers (ii), (iii), and (vi), after sintering, comprises at least 2 different inorganic crystalline phases, selected from the group consisting of fluorite, perovskite, spinel, pyrochlore and combinations thereof.

9 . The method according to claim 6 comprising generating a fading or a pattern after an application or identical applications, in layers (ii), (iii) and (vi) after a thermal treatment, that has:

a distribution in a crystalline phase with regard to layers (ii) and (vi),

a distribution in the crystalline phase with regard to layer (iii), a porosity distribution with regard to layer (iii), or

the distribution in the crystalline phase and the porosity distribution with regard to layer (iii)

selected from the group consisting of 2D chessboard, mosaic with interconnectivity of phases in section, fractal pattern, spiral pattern and combinations thereof.

10 . The method for the manufacture of ceramic gas separation membranes, according to claim 6 , wherein a fading or a pattern that is generated, after more than one application with a different pattern, in layers (ii) and (iii), after heat treatment, is a fading with 3D architectures selected from the group consisting of conical, pyramidal, spiral and combinations of them.

11 . The method according to claim 6 comprising generating a fading or a pattern after an application or identical applications, in layers (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi) after a thermal treatment that has:

a distribution in a crystalline phase with regard to layers (ii) and (vi),

a distribution in the crystalline phase with regard to layer (iii) and (iv),

a porosity distribution with regard to layer (iii) and (iv), or

the distribution in the crystalline phase and the porosity distribution with regard to layer (iii) and (iv) selected from the group consisting of 2D chessboard, mosaic with interconnectivity of phases in section, fractal pattern, spiral pattern and combinations thereof.

12 . The method according to claim 6 comprising generating a fading or a pattern after an application or identical applications, in layers (ii), (iii), (v) and (vi) after a thermal treatment that has:

a distribution in the crystalline phase with regard to layers (ii) and (vi),

a distribution in the crystalline phase with regard to layer (iii) and (v),

a porosity distribution with regard to layer (iii) and (v), or

the distribution in the crystalline phase and the porosity distribution with regard to layer (iii) and (v)

selected from the group consisting of 2D chessboard, mosaic with interconnectivity of phases in section, fractal pattern, spiral pattern and combinations thereof.

13 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein a fading or pattern that is generated, after more than one application with a different pattern, in layers (ii), (iii) and (iv), after heat treatment, is a fading with 3D architectures selected from the group consisting of conical, pyramidal, spiral and combinations of them.

14 . The method for the manufacture of ceramic gas separation membranes, according to claim 6 , wherein a fading or pattern that is generated, after more than one application with a different pattern, in layers (ii), (iii) and (v), after heat treatment, is a fading with 3D architectures selected from the group consisting of conical, pyramidal, spiral and combinations of them.

15 . The method according to claim 5 wherein a set of inks that give rise to layers (iii), (iv) and (v) is composed of at least:

(a) an inorganic solid

(b) a fugitive additive,

(c) a liquid component, and

(d) a conditioning additive;

wherein components (c) and (d) are always present in the formulation of each of the constituent inks, while components (a) and (b) can both be present at the same time, or only one of them.

16 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the porosity of layers (iii), (iv) and (v) is between 20 and 60% with respect to the total volume of the layer and the thickness of each layer is between 5 and 100 μm.

17 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a shaping of the porous support (i) is carried out by a technique selected from uniaxial or isostatic pressing, extrusion or calendering, tape casting, casting, dip coating, spin coating, roller coating or screen printing, physical vapor deposition, sputtering, electron beam, suspension spraying, and/or thermal projection (thermal spraying), including plasma spraying and spray pyrolysis, 3D printing, stereolithography, injection, inkjet printing and combinations thereof.

18 . The method according to claim, 1 wherein the porous support (i) comprises materials resistant to sintering temperatures and compatible with the materials of the functional separation layer (ii).

19 . The method according to claim, 1 wherein the porous support (i) is constituted by materials that are selected from the group consisting of magnesium oxide, aluminum and magnesium spinels, cerium oxide doped with at least one lanthanide metal, zirconium oxide doped with at least one of the following elements: Y, Mg, Se or a lanthanide metal; titanium oxide, aluminum nitride, refractory alloys/superalloys, clay-based materials or silicates of aluminium, magnesium silicate, iron, titanium or alkaline or alkaline-earth elements, iron perovskites and combinations thereof.

20 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the functional separation layer (ii) comprises inks that are composed of at least:

(a) an inorganic solid,

(b) a liquid component, and

(c) a conditioning additive.

21 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the functional separation layer (ii) is a non-porous layer.

22 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the inorganic solids are selected from the group consisting of solids that result in a minimum ionic conductivity of the sintered functional layer (ii) of 1 mS/cm and a minimum electronic conductivity of mS/cm at a temperature of 850° C.

23 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the functional separation layer (ii) is a porous layer.

24 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the functional separation layer (ii) has a thickness between 2 and 50 μm.

25 . A ceramic membrane obtained by the method comprising:

deposition on a porous support (i), by means of an inkjet printer, of at least one functional separation layer (ii) comprising at least two inks and

at least one thermal treatment, which produces sintering of the functional separation layer (ii) layer, and

deposition of at least one porous catalytic activation layer (iii) on the functional separation layer (ii).