Project description DEENESFRITPL The next generation of ion-exchange membranes Ion-exchange membranes are semi-permeable membranes that can transport certain dissolved ions, while blocking other ions or neutral molecules. Such membranes are used in various applications like water treatment and mineral extraction. However, the mechanisms underlying the separation process are incompletely understood, limiting their widespread use. Funded by the European Research Council, the IonFracMem project will address this limitation by developing novel ion-exchange membranes that carry selective sites for facilitating ion transport. Researchers will study the transport phenomena on polymeric and composite membranes. leading to the design of the next generation of membranes featuring functionality and applications. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Effective fractionation of ions does not only play a vital role in the functioning of human cell membranes, but also in engineered membranes used to produce drinkable water, extract target minerals and capture energy to address challenges in environmental, resource & energy fields. Nevertheless, most of the state-of-the-art membranes fail to overcome the trade-off between single ion selectivity and throughput. The progress is greatly hampered by the lack of comprehensive understanding on the separation mechanisms across different types of as-claimed ion selective membranes. The IonFracMem project will make breakthroughs by designing novel facilitated ion exchange membranes using an interdisciplinary approach based on electrochemistry, which synergizes with the interaction between target ion and functional materials to form ion selective sites in the membrane and thus facilitate its transport. To achieve a holistic understanding, we will purposely construct two types of membranes with completely different structure for fractionating ions: 1) polymeric membranes of flexible nature, made of conventional or hydrogel polymers (Obj. 1); 2) composite membrane of rigid nature, consisting of nanomaterials with sub-nanometer cavities (Obj. 2). Subsequently, we will provide mechanistic understanding of the facilitated transport phenomena via a multi-scale modelling approach (Obj. 3), to identify governing mechanisms that can be translated to membrane fabrication parameters. The project integrates several key engineering & science disciplines such as separation technology, material processing and functionalization, electrochemistry and fundamental physics, allowing rational design of next generation membranes from a wide range of materials for ion purification. The proposed multidisciplinary approach will impact theories and applications of electro-driven membranes in important domains such as water purification, resource recovery & sustainable energy. Fields of science natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energyengineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdesalinationreverse osmosisnatural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesengineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials Programme(s) HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2022-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2022-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC - Support for frontier research (ERC) Coordinator KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN Net EU contribution € 1 498 250,00 Address Oude markt 13 3000 Leuven Belgium See on map Region Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
