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Permeability of silica monoliths containing micro- and nano-pores

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Abstract

For applications as catalyst supports in flow reactors, porous silica monoliths require a combination of connected pores of micron-scale to enable fluid flow plus nm-scale pores to enable high catalyst area and activity. We have synthesised a range porous silica monoliths, characterised their micron and nm-scale pores and measured their permeability coefficients K. K can be controlled over the range 10−10–10−14 m2, primarily by adjustment of the polymer/silane concentration ratio, whilst maintaining the specific surface area and nm-scale porosity approximately constant. For the majority of the silica monolith samples, the measured permeability coefficient K is 2–5 times smaller than K for a hypothetical reference system consisting of a monolith with uniform cylindrical pores aligned in the flow direction and with the same average pore diameter and volume fraction.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Pfizer and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK for funding this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK

    Paul D. I. Fletcher, Stephen J. Haswell, Ping He & Stephen M. Kelly

  2. Pfizer Global Research & Development, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9NJ, UK

    Andrew Mansfield

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  1. Paul D. I. Fletcher
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  2. Stephen J. Haswell
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  3. Ping He
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  4. Stephen M. Kelly
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  5. Andrew Mansfield
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Correspondence to Paul D. I. Fletcher.

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Fletcher, P.D.I., Haswell, S.J., He, P. et al. Permeability of silica monoliths containing micro- and nano-pores. J Porous Mater 18, 501–508 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10934-010-9403-3

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