Descripción del proyecto
Materiales 2D inteligentes para la desalinización del agua
La recolección de energía o el acceso a agua potable limpia a través de la desalinización de agua requiere soluciones en forma de materiales 2D para aplicaciones industriales importantes. Al igual que el grafeno, estos materiales contienen capilares y huecos minúsculos que son ideales para la tecnología de desalinización. El objetivo del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos GraFludicDevices es mejorar la comprensión fundamental del transporte molecular en nanocanales fabricados con diferentes materiales 2D. Los investigadores desarrollarán dispositivos de nanocanales en 2D para investigar la dinámica del flujo de agua —cinética de permeación y separación selectiva de moléculas de agua de los iones— mediante el empleo de técnicas de medición de flujo hechas a medida. Los resultados brindarán más información sobre el potencial de la aplicación rentable de los materiales 2D en la desalinización de agua y en tecnologías relacionadas.
Objetivo
Exploration of molecular transport in nanometre (nm) and sub-nm capillaries has big implications in the emergence of novel nanofluidic phenomena with interesting applications, including desalination, water purification, energy harvesting and smart membrane technologies. Recent advances in graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials based membranes with interlayer gallery of nanochannels have witnessed high water-ion selectivity and fast water permeation—manifesting their potential for desalination and smart membrane applications. However, a systematic and extensive experimental investigation of water permeation kinetics, including the demonstration of slip effects, in these atomically smooth 2D nanochannels is still lacking. Therefore, the main objective of the current research proposal is to gain a complete mechanistic understanding of water transport in nanochannels made of different 2D materials, which is crucial for the rational design of functional membranes for energy and environmental applications. This will be achieved by employing the state-of-the-art fabrication and experimental techniques based on van der Waals assembly, Landau-Squire flow measurement set-up and ultrasonic force microscopy. In this project, atomically smooth angstrom-scale 2D nanochannel devices will be prepared to investigate the flow dynamics of water using a custom-made ultrasensitive flow measurement technique. Throughout the project, advanced modelling techniques will be utilized to fundamentally understand transport and further optimize the system. Building on these findings, a scale-up methodology will be developed for the large-scale production of membranes for desalination and energy harvesting applications. The proposed research action will address Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges related to water security and resource efficiency while advancing the field of nanofluidics and membrane technology through the development of new fabrication and flow measurement methods.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinador
75794 Paris
Francia