SBIR Phase I: Bendable Ceramic Paper Membranes

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目解决了前所未有的高性能和低成本陶瓷膜的制造和表征-陶瓷纳米线膜。基于膜的分离和过滤是现代工业的重要组成部分。有机聚合物膜由于其低制造成本和柔性特性，在这些市场中占据主导地位。陶瓷膜尽管具有固有的上级性能，但由于其高制造成本和刚性结构而没有被广泛采用。在这个项目中，Novarials将采用一种新的制造策略，以高质量和低成本的陶瓷纳米线为基础制造下一代陶瓷膜。这些陶瓷膜（1）将与聚合物膜一样可弯曲和柔性，使得它们可以集成到螺旋缠绕系统中以实现高膜填充密度，其是常规陶瓷膜的5至10倍;（2）将以低成本制造，其是常规陶瓷膜的10至20%;（3）将是不含有机添加剂的纯陶瓷，因而具有陶瓷材料的所有上级性能;（四）将在柔性玻璃纤维膜失效的情况下制造直径为2至100 nm的纳米孔用于超滤。这些陶瓷纳米线膜将是一种破坏性的膜工业技术。陶瓷膜具有柔韧性和可弯曲性、低制造成本、对温度的高稳定性、对酸、碱和氯的化学惰性、长使用寿命以及纳米尺寸的孔等诸多优点的前所未有的组合，将使它们迅速渗透到传统陶瓷膜的当前市场。此外，陶瓷膜将成为当前有机聚合物膜主导市场的强有力竞争者，也是新应用的高潜力候选者，传统陶瓷膜因成本高而失败，聚合物膜因稳定性低而失败。该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project addresses the fabrication and characterization of unprecedented high performance and low cost ceramic membranes - Bendable Ceramic Nanowire Membranes. Membrane-based separation and filtration is a significant part of modern industries. Organic polymer membranes, due to their low manufacture cost and flexible feature, are dominating these markets. Ceramic membranes, despite their intrinsically superior properties, have not been widely adopted due to their high manufacture cost and rigid structures. In this program, Novarials will apply a novel fabrication strategy to make next-generation ceramic membranes based on high quality and low cost ceramic nanowires. These ceramic membranes (1) will be as bendable and flexible as polymer membranes so that they can be integrated into spiral wound systems to achieve high membrane packing density which is 5 to 10 times that of conventional ceramic membranes; (2) will be manufactured at low cost which is 10~20% of conventional ceramic membranes; (3) will be pure ceramic without organic additives, and thus pertain all the superior properties of ceramic materials; (4) will posses nanosized pore of 2 to 100nm in diameter for ultrafiltration where flexible glass fiber membranes failed.These ceramic nanowire membranes will be a disruptive technology in membrane industry. The unprecedented combination of many advantages of the ceramic membranes including flexibility and bendability, low manufacture cost, high stability to temperature, chemical inertness to acids, bases and chlorine, long operation life, as well as nanosized pores, will make them quickly penetrate into the current markets of conventional ceramic membranes. In addition, the ceramic membranes will be a strong competitor to current organic polymer membrane-dominated markets and a high potential candidate for new applications where conventional ceramic membranes failed due to high cost and where polymer membranes failed due to low stability.This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).