The basic membrane technology that has revolutionized global water treatment strategies is now more than 40 years old. Optimal separation performance, energy efficiency, and fouling resistance of conventional polymeric membranes are nearly fully realized, but membrane filtration and desalination processes remains relatively non-selective, energy-intensive, and fouling-prone. These constraints and global sustainability imperatives to control energy use limit our ability to produce clean water through desalination and water reuse. However, the 'age of nanotechnology' has brought forth entirely new classes of functional materials to be explored. In the past decade, many exciting and new advanced materials concepts have been proposed for synthesizing better performing desalination and filtration membranes. These concepts include aligned-carbon nanotubes, protein-polymer hybrids, zeolite-coated ceramics, and inorganic-organic nanocomposites among others. The talk will begin with an introduction to some of these concepts, including our innovation of thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes, which are now produced and sold commercially by NanoH2O Inc. More recently, we are targeting new membranes with improved chemical, mechanical, and thermal stabilities, as well as tunable separation properties, anti-fouling, and self-cleaning surfaces. In this talk, I will discuss a few specific examples of how the union of nanotechnology and membranes is beginning to shape the future of desalination and advanced water treatment.

Developments and applications of nanocomposite membranes for desalination and advanced water treatment

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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