INFEWS N/P/H2O:EPRI:GOALI: A Novel Janus Membrane with Asymmetric Wetting Properties for Simultaneous Anti-wetting and Anti-fouling Membrane Distillation

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PI Name: Shihong LinProposal Number: 1705048 Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging membrane-based thermal desalination technology that can utilize low-temperature heat to desalinate hypersaline water. Current MD membranes are typically made of polymeric materials that are readily wet by compounds such as surfactants and fouled by many organic compounds. These drawbacks typically limit MD processes to desalinating relatively clean saline water free of these constituents. Overcoming these limitations in material properties will permit MD processes to be used with a much broader range of feed water and wastewater that are challenging for existing technologies. The PIs plan to develop a novel membrane with resistance to both wetting and fouling for MD as a solution to overcome the materials limitations and enhance the capability of MD as a desalination technology. The novel membranes will be fabricated by integrating two functional layers with distinct wetting properties to impart the simultaneous resistance to fouling and wetting. The PIs will also integrate educational activities aimed at fostering the interests of K-12 students in STEM. They will also develop educational kits and modules for K-12 outreach and host talented high school students to conduct research related to this project. The overarching goal of this project is to develop a novel Janus membrane with resistance to both wetting and fouling for robust and versatile MD applications. This goal will be achieved by conducting the three following specific tasks. First, Janus membranes will be fabricated by integrating an in-air omniphobic substrate and an underwater superhydrophilic skin layer. The second major task involves characterizing the morphological and wetting properties as well as the standard MD performance of the fabricated Janus membranes. Lastly, the performance of the Janus membranes will be tested with synthetic and real wastewater to evaluate them in the presence of amphiphilic and hydrophobic contaminants. For practical relevance, the real wastewater will be provided by the industrial partner, which has expertise in treating specialized wastewater from pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries. In addition to material development, characterization, and performance testing, fundamental studies of wetting and fouling will also be conducted using electro-impedance spectroscopy and multi-scale force spectroscopy, respectively. The PIs will develop novel materials as a solution to relevant environmental problems. The fabrication techniques developed in this study will enhance our capacity of engineering structured membranes with multiple functional properties. The fundamental studies on fouling and wetting will potentially have an impact on enhancing the performance of other membrane-based processes as well. Through this project, the PIs will integrate the research and education by incorporating the results from the project into the course materials at both graduate and undergraduate level, promoting the participation of undergraduate students and high school students in laboratory research, and developing educational kits and modules for K-12 outreach. Specifically, the PIs will focus on surface wetting as the thematic topic for K-12 outreach and develop hands-on experimental kits integrating STEM and art that foster the curiosity and creativity of the K-12 students.