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Graphene oxide nanofiltration membranes for desalination under realistic conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Zhongzhen Wang

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Chen Ma

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Chunyan Xu

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Scott A. Sinquefield

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Meisha L. Shofner

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Sankar Nair

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    Georgia Institute of Technology)

Abstract

The demands of clean water production and wastewater recycling continue to drive nanofiltration membrane development. Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have exhibited the potential to revolutionize nanofiltration, but sustaining high solute rejections at realistic concentrations remains a major challenge. Here we show that a series of membranes based on GO bound to polycyclic π-conjugated cations such as toluidine blue O show substantially enhanced rejections for salts and neutral solutes over a wide concentration range. The observed solute rejection behaviours in these π-intercalated GO membranes can be understood by a dual mechanism of interlayer spacing modulation and creation of diffusion barriers in the two-dimensional interlayer galleries. These membranes are easily scalable and possess good chemical and mechanical robustness in desalination of a multicomponent industrial stream at elevated pH, temperature, stream velocity and solids content.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhongzhen Wang & Chen Ma & Chunyan Xu & Scott A. Sinquefield & Meisha L. Shofner & Sankar Nair, 2021. "Graphene oxide nanofiltration membranes for desalination under realistic conditions," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 4(5), pages 402-408, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:4:y:2021:i:5:d:10.1038_s41893-020-00674-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-00674-3
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