Abstract

The chemical composition, crystalline structure and microstructure of ceramic membranes play an important role in their mechanical properties, thermal stability, permeation and catalytic behavior. In the present work, a mixed ceramic membrane with potential application in catalysis was prepared and characterized. The ceramic membrane was made of two layers of ceramic oxides with a dense and porous structure. The dense layer was prepared with a solid composite based on LaFeO3 of perovskite-like structure and CeO2. The porous layer was prepared with a La2O3-Al2O3 composite oxide. The constituent powders and the ceramic membrane were characterized by XRD, SEM-XEDS, BSC and nitrogen physisorption. The microstructure results showed an adequate compaction of the dense and porous ceramic powders, with a grain consolidation boundary zone of the two ceramic phases up to a certain depth (˂ 200 μm) and relative roughness without fracture between the two ceramic oxide layers.