SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF A CERAMIC MEMBRANE COMPOSED OF LaFeO₃-CeO₂ AND La₂O₃-Al₂O₃

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.