Abstract
Atmospheric–pressure plasma–enhanced chemical vapor deposition (AP–PECVD) is an innovative technology, which enables the fabrication of silica–based membranes at ambient temperature and pressure. In this paper, the fabrication of microporous inorganic membranes via low–pressure PECVD is summarized, and then, the development of AP–PECVD system for the fabrication of silica–based membranes is presented. By using AP–PECVD technique, highly permselective silica–based membranes were successfully fabricated. It was revealed that the gas permeation property of AP–PECVD–derived membranes could be controlled by changing membrane preparation parameters such as plasma reaction atmosphere, precursor species, and annealing temperature. Finally, research challenges and opportunities in AP–PECVD will be highlighted.
