This article describes fabrication of novel silica membranes derived via controlled oxidative thermolysis of polydimethylsiloxane and their gas separation performance. The optimized protocol for fabrication of the silica membranes is described and pure gas separation performance in the temperature range 35-80 degrees C is presented. It is observed that the membranes exhibit activated transport for small gas penetrants such as He, H(2) and CO(2). The membranes can withstand temperatures up to 350 degrees C in air and may ultimately find use in H(2)/CO(2) separations to improve efficiency in the water-gas shift reactor process. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.