Descrizione del progetto
La prossima generazione di membrane a scambio ionico
Le membrane a scambio ionico sono membrane semipermeabili in grado di trasportare determinati ioni dissolti, bloccando al contempo altri ioni o molecole neutre. Tali membrane vengono impiegate in varie applicazioni quali il trattamento delle acque e l’estrazione dei minerali. Tuttavia, i meccanismi alla base del processo di separazione non sono completamente compresi, il che ne limita il loro utilizzo diffuso. Finanziato dal Consiglio europeo della ricerca, il progetto IonFracMem affronterà questi limiti sviluppando innovative membrane a scambio ionico che trasportano siti selettivi per agevolare il trasporto di ioni. I ricercatori studieranno il fenomeno del trasporto su membrane polimeriche e composite, allo scopo di progettare la prossima generazione di membrane innovative caratterizzate da funzionalità e applicazioni.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistry
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdesalinationreverse osmosis
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
3000 Leuven
Belgio