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Hot-pressed polymer nanofiber supported graphene membrane for high-performance nanofiltration.
Zhao Wang1, Rajesh Sahadevan2, Che-Ning Yeh3
1Department of Chemistry and Applied Biological Sciences, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, United States of America.
Nanotechnology
|June 27, 2017
Summary
Graphene oxide (GO) sheets on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers form membranes that effectively purify water. These membranes achieve high water flux and reject 90% of MgSO4 via size exclusion, showing promise for nanofiltration.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Environmental Engineering
Background:
- Developing advanced membranes for water purification is crucial.
- Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) show potential for separation applications.
- Electrospun polymer nanofibers offer a versatile membrane support platform.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create and evaluate graphene oxide-overlaid polyacrylonitrile nanofiber membranes for water purification.
- To investigate the effectiveness of a simple hot-pressing method for fabricating 2D material-based membranes.
- To demonstrate the potential of these membranes for efficient removal of dissolved substances and ions.
Main Methods:
- Surface-overlaying graphene oxide (GO) sheets onto hot-pressed electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membranes.
- Thermal reduction of GO to reduced GO (rGO) at 150 °C for 12 hours.
- Evaluating membrane performance using MgSO4 rejection and water flux measurements, considering size exclusion mechanisms.
Main Results:
- A continuous and crack-free rGO layer was successfully formed on the PAN nanofiber membrane.
- The prepared PAN-rGO membranes achieved approximately 90% MgSO4 rejection with high water flux.
- No delamination of the GO/rGO layers was observed during the study, indicating good stability.
Conclusions:
- Hot-pressed electrospun nanofiber membranes provide a robust platform for supporting 2D materials like GO/rGO.
- PAN-rGO membranes are promising for nanofiltration applications in water purification due to their high performance and stability.
- The simple fabrication method highlights the potential for cost-effective and efficient water treatment solutions using 2D material-based membranes.
