Sol-gel Synthesis of Alumina-titania Ceramic Membrane: Preparation and Characterization

Alumina-titania ceramic membrane with mesopore and narrow pore size distribution was prepared by the sol-gel process. Observations were based on membrane weight loss, morphology, pore size distribution and BET surface area. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and N₂ adsorption-desorption analysis were employed for the membrane characterization. TGA curve shows that the suitable temperature for calcination of alumina-titania membrane is at 600°C. The SEM morphology displays a smooth and free-crack layer of alumina-titania membrane after calcination at temperature of 600°C. Furthermore, the membrane was also successfully coated with a good adhesion to complement with support. The thickness of the membrane layer was estimated at 4 μm. N₂ adsorption-desorption confirms the existence of a mesoporous structure for membrane as BET surface area and average pore size of the membrane layer were 292 m²g^-1 and 1.8 nm respectively.