Study and Development of a New Type of Water Nanofiltration Membrane with an Ordered, Sub-one-nanometer Size Pore System

该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助。0853554Gin拟议的研究将为溶质在小于1纳米尺寸的区域(即单个小分子领域)上通过均匀孔隙的传输和拒绝行为提供新的基础性见解。目前，在这种大小范围内液体分离的已知或实验验证很少。这一领域的研究将能够在实验上验证一些众所周知的、基于大小的核因子排斥模型是否确实适用于这种大小。拟议的研究还将为制备可聚合LLC组件(特别是Q相)的薄膜带来新的见解和新的方法。制备连续薄膜的能力对于高表面积、最小厚度和/或材料量对制造的性能和经济性非常重要的膜应用来说是极其重要的。目前，制备LLC组件的薄膜的方法很少，而且没有一种方法适合于更奇特的Q型相。最后，拟议的项目将确定是否有可能通过使用不同的LLC单体同系物或手头已有的不同QI单体来调节LLC膜的孔径在1纳米以下。在用于分离应用的多孔聚合物中，这种控制是史无前例的，并可能导致设计新的水纳滤材料以实现更精细的分子级分离。拟议的研究可能会导致开发一种新型的水纳滤(和海水淡化)膜，其操作方式是在1 nm以下的尺度上预测孔径排除。与目前的多孔纳滤膜相比，这种材料将提供更好的分离选择性和控制性。它甚至可能为海水淡化提供一种可行的替代传统反渗透膜的膜技术(通过溶液扩散型机制运行)。鉴于目前和预期全球对清洁水的需求，一种新型的能够淡化海水的纳滤膜将在环境和土木工程中产生广泛的影响。拟议的研究将为对膜工程和纳米科学感兴趣的学生提供培训，这两个领域的接口是未来膜发展的最重要领域之一。这项研究将为化学工程专业的研究生提供一个新的培训基础(使用独特的膜纳米材料)，以检验纳米结构对膜中液体传输的影响。鉴于LLC膜用于新型水分离的潜力，这项工作也应该成为吸引REU、RET和本科生研究人员兴趣的一个很好的平台。作为这项建议的推广和教育部分的一部分，我们将继续与CU Boulder现有的推广计划合作，如LC MRC REU和RET计划、CU材料科学计划和CU奇才秀，以帮助本科生、当地K-12学校和当地社区分别在新兴的应用纳米科学领域进行教育

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).0853554GinThe proposed research will provide new fundamental insights into the transport and rejection behavior of solutes through uniform pores on the sub-1-nm size regime (i.e., the realm of individual small molecules). Currently, very little is known or experimentally verifiable for liquid separations on this size regime. Research in this area will be able to experimentally verify whether some well-known, size-based NF rejection models are indeed applicable on this size scale. The proposed research will also lead to new insights and new methods for fabricating thin films of polymerizable LLC assemblies (in particular, the Q phases). The ability to fabricate continuous thin films is extremely important for membrane applications where high surface area and a minimum thickness and/or amount of material are important for performance and economy of manufacture. Currently, there are very few methods for making thin films of LLC assemblies, and none are suitable for the more exotic Q-type phases. Finally, the proposed project will determine whether it is possible to tune LLC membrane pore size on the sub-1-nm scale via the use of different LLC monomer homologues or a different QI monomer already in hand. Such control in porous polymers for separation applications is unprecedented, and could lead to the design of new water NF materials for even finer molecular-level separations.The proposed research may lead to the development of a new type of water NF (and desalination) membrane that operates by predictable pore size-exclusion on the sub-1-nm scale. Such a material would provide improved separation selectivity and control compared to current porous NF membranes. It may even provide a viable alternative membrane technology to classical RO membranes (which operate via solution-diffusion-type mechanism) for water desalination. Given the current and anticipated demand for clean water globally, a new type of water NF membrane capable of desalination would have broad impact in environmental and civil engineering. The proposed research will provide training for students interested in membrane engineering and nanoscience, the interface of which is one of the most important areas for future membrane development. The research will provide a novel training ground (with unique membrane nanomaterials) for graduate students in Chemical Engineering to examine the effect of nanostructure on liquid transport in membranes. Given the potential of the LLC membranes for new types of aqueous separations, this work should also make a good platform for attracting interest from outside REU, RET, and undergraduate researchers. As part of the outreach and educational component of this proposal, we will continue to work with established outreach programs at CU Boulder, such as the LC MRC REU and RET programs, the Materials Science from CU program, and the CU Wizards Show, in order to help educate undergraduates, local K-12 schools, and the local community, respectively, on the emerging field of applied nanoscience