Sol-gel processing of inorganic membranes

Basic principles involved in sol-gel processing of ceramic membranes are described. This process has been applied to ceramic ultrafiltration membranes and is now investigated to prepare ceramic nanofilters. In this paper special emphasis is put on new developments concerning microporous zirconia membranes obtained by the polymeric route. A zirconium alkoxide precursor modified with an acetylacetone ligand has been used in order to control particle growth in the sols and pore size distribution in the membranes. N₂ adsorption and X-ray diffraction analysis have been performed on membrane materials showing the influence of process parameters (molar ratio r = acacH/Zr and sintering temperature T) on membrane structural evolution.