Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes
In this work, novel polysulphone (PS) porous membranes for water desalination, incorporated with commercial and produced carbon nanotubes (CNT), were fabricated and analyzed. It was demonstrated that changing the main characteristics of CNT (e.g., loading in the dope solutions, aspect ratio, and fun...
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doaj-b54cefe5ae8b45559b135e51e4e4043d2020-11-24T20:57:44ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752018-11-018410610.3390/membranes8040106membranes8040106Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon NanotubesYehia M. Manawi0Kui Wang1Viktor Kochkodan2Daniel J. Johnson3Muataz A. Atieh4Marwan K. Khraisheh5Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarSchool of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, ChinaQatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarCentre for Water Advanced Technologies and Environmental Research (CWATER), College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKQatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarCollege of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarIn this work, novel polysulphone (PS) porous membranes for water desalination, incorporated with commercial and produced carbon nanotubes (CNT), were fabricated and analyzed. It was demonstrated that changing the main characteristics of CNT (e.g., loading in the dope solutions, aspect ratio, and functionality) significantly affected the membrane properties and performance including porosity, water flux, and mechanical and surface properties. The water flux of the fabricated membranes increased considerably (up to 20 times) along with the increase in CNT loading. Conversely, yield stress and Young’s modulus of the membranes dropped with the increase in the CNT loading mainly due to porosity increase. It was shown that the elongation at fracture for PS/0.25 wt. % CNT membrane was much higher than for pristine PS membrane due to enhanced compatibility of commercial CNTs with PS matrix. More pronounced effect on membrane’s mechanical properties was observed due to compatibility of CNTs with PS matrix when compared to other factors (i.e., changes in the CNT aspect ratio). The water contact angle for PS membranes incorporated with commercial CNT sharply decreased from 73° to 53° (membrane hydrophilization) for membranes with 0.1 and 1.0 wt. % of CNTs, while for the same loading of produced CNTs the water contact angles for the membrane samples increased from 66° to 72°. The obtained results show that complex interplay of various factors such as: loading of CNT in the dope solutions, aspect ratio, and functionality of CNT. These features can be used to engineer membranes with desired properties and performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/8/4/106membranesatomic force microscopymechanical propertieswater desalination |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Yehia M. Manawi Kui Wang Viktor Kochkodan Daniel J. Johnson Muataz A. Atieh Marwan K. Khraisheh |
spellingShingle |
Yehia M. Manawi Kui Wang Viktor Kochkodan Daniel J. Johnson Muataz A. Atieh Marwan K. Khraisheh Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes Membranes membranes atomic force microscopy mechanical properties water desalination |
author_facet |
Yehia M. Manawi Kui Wang Viktor Kochkodan Daniel J. Johnson Muataz A. Atieh Marwan K. Khraisheh |
author_sort |
Yehia M. Manawi |
title |
Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes |
title_short |
Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes |
title_full |
Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes |
title_fullStr |
Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Engineering the Surface and Mechanical Properties of Water Desalination Membranes Using Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes |
title_sort |
engineering the surface and mechanical properties of water desalination membranes using ultralong carbon nanotubes |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Membranes |
issn |
2077-0375 |
publishDate |
2018-11-01 |
description |
In this work, novel polysulphone (PS) porous membranes for water desalination, incorporated with commercial and produced carbon nanotubes (CNT), were fabricated and analyzed. It was demonstrated that changing the main characteristics of CNT (e.g., loading in the dope solutions, aspect ratio, and functionality) significantly affected the membrane properties and performance including porosity, water flux, and mechanical and surface properties. The water flux of the fabricated membranes increased considerably (up to 20 times) along with the increase in CNT loading. Conversely, yield stress and Young’s modulus of the membranes dropped with the increase in the CNT loading mainly due to porosity increase. It was shown that the elongation at fracture for PS/0.25 wt. % CNT membrane was much higher than for pristine PS membrane due to enhanced compatibility of commercial CNTs with PS matrix. More pronounced effect on membrane’s mechanical properties was observed due to compatibility of CNTs with PS matrix when compared to other factors (i.e., changes in the CNT aspect ratio). The water contact angle for PS membranes incorporated with commercial CNT sharply decreased from 73° to 53° (membrane hydrophilization) for membranes with 0.1 and 1.0 wt. % of CNTs, while for the same loading of produced CNTs the water contact angles for the membrane samples increased from 66° to 72°. The obtained results show that complex interplay of various factors such as: loading of CNT in the dope solutions, aspect ratio, and functionality of CNT. These features can be used to engineer membranes with desired properties and performance. |
topic |
membranes atomic force microscopy mechanical properties water desalination |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/8/4/106 |
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