GOALI/Collaborative Research: Nanomanufacturing of Vertically Aligned Boron-Nitride-Nanotube Membranes for Energy Conversion

在全球范围内，有相当于大约2000座核电站的未开发电力，可以在沿海河口通过混合淡水和咸水产生。然而，到目前为止，还没有经济的方法从自然盐分梯度中提取这种清洁的“蓝色”能源。这在很大程度上是由于现有膜技术的效率低和成本高。GOALI学术研究机会(GOALI)合作奖支持一种新方法的基础研究，该方法利用氮化硼纳米管(BNNT)作为独特的光滑、高度带电的纳米孔，制造用于从盐度梯度高效转换能量的膜。新的纳米制造工艺能够制造功率密度是现有膜的10到100倍的能量捕集型BNNT膜，以一种高效和经济的方式，可以扩大到高生产率和许多米方大小的大型膜。开发的知识库和纳米制造方法使未得到充分利用的非间歇性能源能够产生可再生能源，并普遍适用于对许多工业过程至关重要的专用膜的设计和制造。这项由工业合作伙伴CHASM Technologies与两所大学的化学和机械工程师合作进行的合作研究，帮助学生培养多学科技能并获得行业相关经验。协调一致的外展努力，激发女性和少数族裔学生对科学、技术、工程和数学的兴趣，增强多样性，帮助满足美国劳动力需求。Goali合作研究项目设计了第一种可扩展的、卷对卷兼容的方法，用于生产垂直排列的氮化硼纳米管(BNNT)膜。这是通过基于溶液的方法实现的，该方法在外部电场的影响下沉积并排列齐聚物分散的BNNTs，并通过原位聚合将纳米结构锁定在适当的位置。该项目为实验室规模的基于溶液的制备开发了基本的理解和方法，目标是1-10 cm2的膜，孔密度为108-1010 BNNTs/cm2。这种膜的可获得性为离子和液体在高度带电的纳米孔中的传输、对分子分离和电动动能转换的影响等基本问题提供了答案。学术合作者正计划与行业合作伙伴CHASM Technologies合作，开发子系统和加工步骤(例如，涂层、电动对准、固化和后处理)，以实现大面积BNNT薄膜的卷对卷制造。该团队共同研究了随着尺寸增加到100 cm2及以上，制造工艺、膜产量和性能的可扩展性。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Globally, there is untapped power equivalent to approximately 2,000 nuclear power plants that could be generated at coastal estuaries from the mixing of fresh and salt water. To date, however, there have been no economical ways to extract this clean 'blue' energy from natural salt gradients. This is largely due to the poor efficiencies and high cost of existing membrane technologies. This Grant Opportunity for Academic Research with Industry (GOALI) collaborative award supports fundamental research on a new approach to manufacturing membranes for efficient energy conversion from salinity gradients, using boron-nitride nanotubes (BNNT) as uniquely smooth, highly charged nanoscale pores. The new nanomanufacturing process enables fabrication of energy-harvesting BNNT membranes with power densities ten to 100 times greater than existing membranes, in an efficient and cost-effective manner that can be scaled up to high production rates and large-scale membranes many meter-square in size. The knowledge base and nanomanufacturing methods that are developed enable renewable energy generation from an under-utilized and non-intermittent power source, and are also generally applicable to the design and manufacture of the specialized membranes that are critical to many industrial processes. This GOALI collaborative research, between an industrial partner, Chasm Technologies, and Chemical and Mechanical Engineers at two universities, helps students develop multidisciplinary skills and gain industry-relevant experience. Concerted outreach efforts to spark interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics among women and under-represented minority students enhances diversity and help fill US workforce needs. The GOALI collaborative research project devises the first scalable, roll-to-roll-compatible method for producing vertically aligned boron-nitride nanotube (BNNT) membranes. This is achieved with a solution-based approach that deposits and aligns oligomer-dispersed BNNTs under the influence of an external electric field, and locks the nanostructure in position by in situ polymerization. The project develops a fundamental understanding and methods for solution-based fabrication at lab scales, targeting 1-10 cm2 membranes with pore densities of 108 - 1010 BNNTs/cm2. The availability of such membranes provides answers to basic questions regarding ion and liquid transport in highly charged nanoscale pores, the implications for molecular separations and electrokinetic energy conversion. The academic collaborators are planning to work with industry partner Chasm Technologies to develop the subsystems and processing steps (e.g., coating, electrokinetic alignment, curing, and post processing) to enable roll-to-roll manufacturing of large-area BNNT membranes. Together, the team studies scalability of the manufacturing process, membrane yield and performance as the size is increased to 100 cm2 and beyond.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.