Effect of H2S on hydrogen permeation of Pd60Cu40/V–15Ni composite membrane

Pd-Cu alloy covered V-15Ni composite membranes have been prepared in this work. XRD, SEM and AES analysis were performed to characterize the composite membranes. Hydrogen permeation of the composite membrane under pure hydrogen and mixed gas with H2S impurity were studied, and the composition and thickness of Pd-Cu overlayers were optimized. It shows that the Pd60Cu40/V-15Ni composite membrane has higher permeability than other overlayer compositions. In the temperature range of 573-673K, the Pd60Cu40/V-15Ni composite membrane shows a good resistance to H2S impurity; when the temperature is lower than 573K, the effect of H2S impurity becomes more serious and the hydrogen permeability of Pd60Cu40/V-15Ni composite membrane decreases rapidly with increasing of H2S concentration.