Hierarchical MFI Zeolite Membranes for Superior Xylene Separation

Abstract The separation of p‐xylene from its xylene isomers (o‐xylene, m‐xylene) is a significant concern in the petrochemical industry. MFI zeolite membranes offer great potential for energy‐efficient and high‐selective xylene separation. Synthesizing ultrathin (< 1 µm) MFI zeolite membrane for high‐flux separation is highly desired but remains challenging. Herein, a novel and facile strategy for synthesizing hierarchical MFI zeolite membranes on ceramic hollow fibers from multi‐dimensionally assembled (2D@0D) seed layers is demonstrated. Owing to the rapid growth of 0D MFI seeds and the voids‐preserved growth of stacked 2D MFI seeds, the hierarchical MFI membrane synthesized for 2 h yielded an ultrathin skin layer (≈255 nm thick) and many macro‐voids within the sublayer (void fraction: 14.86%), which facilitated molecular permeation and simultaneously maintained high separation selectivity of zeolitic pores. The membrane exhibited over sevenfold higher p‐xylene permeance (2.81 × 10−7 mol m−2 s−1 Pa−1) and over threefold improved p‐/o‐xylene separation factor (1228) than the conventional MFI membrane.