Hydrogen separation by nanocrystalline titanium nitride membranes with high hydride ion conductivity

The production of pure hydrogen for use in energy applications and related industries often relies on the permeation of hydrogen through palladium-based membranes. However, the scarcity of Pd reserves necessitates the development of affordable alternatives with high hydrogen permeability. Here we report room-temperature hydrogen permeability of titanium nitrides (widely used as tough and inert coating materials) enabled by mixed hydride ion–electron conductivity. Combined spectroscopic, permeability and microgravimetric measurements reveal that nanocrystalline TiN x membranes feature enhanced grain-boundary diffusion of hydride anions associated with interfacial Ti cations on nanograins. Since the corresponding activation energies are very low (<10 kJ mol–1), these membranes yield a considerably higher room-temperature hydrogen flux than Pd membranes of equivalent thickness. Overall, the current study establishes general guidelines for developing hydride ion transport membranes based on a simple transition metal nitride for hydrogen purification, membrane reactors and other applications. Membranes that can separate hydrogen from mixed gas streams are important for the production of high-purity hydrogen for use in energy applications such as fuel cells. Here the authors demonstrate that titanium nitrides are promising for ambient temperature hydrogen separation via conduction of hydride ions.