Hydrogen separation via proton conducting ceramic membranes: A review

Hydrogen has received great attention as a carbon-free and clean energy source. General industrial processes of hydrogen production involve the separation of gas mixtures to fulfil the purity requirement for most practical applications. Among various separation technologies, membrane separation based on proton-conducting ceramics has been shown to be a very promising method duo to reduced energy consumption and high purity. This review covers the key aspects of hydrogen separation using proton ceramic membranes, including the two main types of hydrogen permeation, namely electrochemical hydrogen pumping based on pure proton conduction, as well as spontaneous hydrogen permeation based on mixed proton-electron conducting membranes. In addition, the challenges facing hydrogen separation technology via proton ceramic membrane and the key issues yet to be solve are summarized. This review aims to provide a reference for the future development and application of this technology.