I-Corps: Molybdenum Disulfide Oil-Water Separator

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是二硫化钼油水分离器(MDSOS)，它类似于海绵，是一种多孔材料，设计用于吸油，同时由于其超疏水性能而排斥水。与燃烧和使用分散剂等常见的油类处理/去除方法不同，使用二硫化钼海绵可以减轻这些常见方法对环境的影响。该系统的实施成本低，在各种水情下具有较高的耐久性。目前的实验室原型适用于小规模污染，市场与船主和码头等在水上地区运输或处理石油的市场相关。MDSOS的设计允许针对所需吸收的油在制造上进行调整，允许与任何类型的油兼容。MDSOS可能是大规模漏油修复工作的一部分。这个i-Corps项目进一步开发了一个超疏水和超亲油二硫化钼(MoS2)海绵技术平台，以改进油水分离和其他工业应用。该平台将材料性能和工艺优势独特地结合在一起。这一优点来自以下综合属性：(1)由于它们的厚度极小(最终只有一层原子)，材料成本和重量都很低，以及(2)它们的化学合成简单，不需要成本苛刻的设备/工艺。因此，该技术平台可能被应用于环境生物修复、溢油清理和含油废水处理。该项目主要使客户发现能够验证潜在的客户细分和产品市场适合性。该奖项反映了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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is a Molybdenum Disulfide Oil Water Separator (MDSOS) which, resembling a sponge, is a porous material designed to absorb oil while simultaneously repelling water due to its superhydrophobic properties. Unlike common methods of oil treatment/removal, such as burning and the use of dispersants, the use of the Molybdenum Disulfide sponges mitigates the environmental effects of these common methods. The implementation of the system can be low-cost and have high durability in varying aquatic conditions. The current laboratory prototype is suitable for small-scale contaminations with markets relevant to those that transport or handle oil in aquatic regions, such as boat owners and marinas. The design of MDSOS permits adjustability in fabrication specific to the oil of desired absorption, allowing compatibility with any type of oil. MDSOS could potentially be part of remediation efforts for large-scale oil spills.This I-Corps project further develops a platform of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) sponge technology to improve oil-water separation as well as other industrial applications. The platform has unique combination of material properties and process advantages. This merit comes from the combined attributes of; (1) low materials cost and weight due to their extremely small thickness (ultimately down to a single layer of atoms) and (2) their facile chemical synthesis which does not require cost-demanding equipment/process. Thus, the technology platform can potentially be applied to perform environmental bioremediation, oil spill cleaning, and oily wastewater treatment. The project primarily enables the customer discovery to validate potential customer segments and product-market fit.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.