SBIR Phase I: Polymer Mesocomposites: Novel Materials for Compaction-Resistant, High-Flux Water Treatment Membranes

SBIR 第一阶段：聚合物介观复合材料：用于抗压实、高通量水处理膜的新型材料

• 批准号: 1214993
• 负责人: Joel Dulebohn
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: InPore Technologies, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-01 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1214993&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Polymer; Mesocomposites; Novel

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is developing novel high flux, compaction-resistant and durable polymer mesocomposite membranes for sustainable drinking water purification and water reuse. The new membranes exhibit 1) superior resistance to internal damage and pore compaction, 2) increased permeability with retention of separation selectivity, and 3) resistance to chemical degradation and mechanical wear with little or no shedding of particles under pressure. The key to our innovation is the use of mesoporous silica particle (MPS) as polymer reinforcing additives and surface polarity modifiers. The MPS additives, which are prepared through surfactant-templated supramolecular assembly processes, have precisely tailored pore sizes in the mesometric range 2 to 50 nm and beyond. Because the MSP pores are larger than the van der Waals diameter of the polymer chains, the polymer can partially penetrate the particle mesopores and bind to membrane pores. The resulting reinforcement, together with the accompanying densification of the membrane, affords the aforementioned advances in water processing performance. To illustrate the technological potential of the innovation, a 5 wt % MSP - polysulfone membrane exhibits a two-fold increase in permeability, a concomitant improvement in rejection selectivity, and a ten-fold decrease in membrane compaction at 40 psiThe broader impact/commercial potential of this project is its potential to ease the world's growing needs for clean, potable water. The problems caused by a lack of clean water are legion and include 1.8 million annual deaths from diarrheal diseases, most of which are preventable with access to safe water. A number of techniques are used for transforming non-potable water into potable water. Of these, membrane filtration is widely used in industrial applications due to its ability to efficiently remove virtually all particles larger than 0.2 um. However, for addressing the broader need for clean water, there remains a need for new materials-based strategies for membranes which achieve extended longevity and high flux separations without sacrificing selectivity. This proposed SBIR project will demonstrate that the challenges can be overcome through the invention of a new class of mesoporous membrane composites reinforced with silicate mesophases. Products based on this technology will be sold into the global water purification market, with key customers being some of the world's leading companies in this field.

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目正在开发新型高通量、抗压和耐用的聚合物介孔复合膜，用于可持续饮用水净化和水再利用。新膜表现出1)优异的抗内部损伤和孔压实性，2)通过保留分离选择性增加渗透性，以及3)抗化学降解和机械磨损，在压力下颗粒很少或不脱落。我们创新的关键是使用介孔二氧化硅颗粒（MPS）作为聚合物增强添加剂和表面极性改性剂。MPS添加剂是通过表面活性剂模板化的超分子组装工艺制备的，具有精确定制的孔径，在2至50纳米及以上的测量范围内。由于MSP孔大于聚合物链的范德华直径，聚合物可以部分穿透颗粒介孔并与膜孔结合。由此产生的强化，以及伴随的膜致密化，提供了上述水处理性能的进步。为了说明这项创新的技术潜力，5 wt %的MSP -聚砜膜的渗透性增加了两倍，同时提高了排斥选择性，在40 psi时膜压实率降低了10倍。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是它有可能缓解世界对清洁饮用水日益增长的需求。缺乏清洁水造成的问题很多，包括每年180万人死于腹泻病，其中大多数是可以通过获得安全的水来预防的。许多技术被用于将非饮用水转化为饮用水。其中，膜过滤广泛应用于工业应用，因为它能够有效地去除几乎所有大于0.2微米的颗粒。然而，为了满足对清洁水的广泛需求，仍然需要新的基于材料的膜策略，在不牺牲选择性的情况下实现延长寿命和高通量分离。这个提议的SBIR项目将证明，通过发明一种新型的硅酸盐中间相增强介孔膜复合材料，可以克服这些挑战。基于该技术的产品将销售到全球水净化市场，主要客户是该领域的一些世界领先公司。