Identifying failure modes and engineering membrane inter-layers for stabilizing ultra-thin and water selective graphene oxide layers

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Commercial and residential air-conditioning systems consume a significant fraction of the world's power output in order to keep people cool and comfortable. Much of this power usage goes to cooling and condensing the water vapour in humid air. It has been projected that removing this water by a process known as membrane-based dehumidification can cut this power consumption in half. However, current membranes do not perform well enough to allow for economical installations of such systems. In order to bring this technology to fruition, Evercloak, in collaboration with the University of Waterloo, aim to significantly improve membrane performance through the development of ultra-thin, water-selective membranes based on graphene oxide. The proposed project aims to identify failure modes and develop unique interlayers to stabilize the ultra-thin membranes using methods compatible with Evercloak's roll-to-roll nano-film printing technology. The project outcomes are expected to improve upon Everlcoak's current membrane technology which will allow them to penetrate the market faster. The success of this project will bring membrane-based dehumidification to reality and enable more efficient cooling as well as industrial dehumidication/dehydration technologies which are expected to significantly reduce society's environmental footprint.