High Thermal Stability and Flexibility of Thin Porous Ni Metal Support Prepared by Electroplating Deposition for Pd Alloy Membranes

Abstract

A porous Ni film with numerous through-holes was prepared by electroplating deposition for use as a novel metal support for Pd alloy membranes. The porous Ni film with 5 μm thickness maintained its shape after calcination in air at 500℃ for 1 h, which indicated its high thermal stability despite being electrodeposited. On the other hand, the calcined normal electrodeposited Ni crumbled and thus could not retain its original shape. The calcined porous Ni film also showed high mechanical strength, as its displacement was twice that of the normal Ni film. Hydrogen flow through the calcined porous Ni film was much higher than that observed for an approximately 5 μm-thick Pd alloy membrane, thus demonstrating the potential application of the film as a novel support for Pd alloy membranes in hydrogen production.