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Dynamic microstructure of graphene oxide membranes and the permeation flux

Dynamic microstructure of graphene oxide membranes and the permeation flux
Dynamic microstructure of graphene oxide membranes and the permeation flux

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have been reported to be a promising separation barrier that can retain small molecules and multi-valent salts because of the well-defined interlayer space between GO flakes. However, while some studies suggested fast liquid transport through the extremely tortuous transport path, contradictory observations (e.g. low permeation flux) have also been obtained. This paper revealed the dynamic microstructure of GO membranes, which affected the membrane performance significantly. We showed that all GO membranes prepared by varied methods and on different substrates presented a severe reduction in water permeability during filtration, due to the compaction of their original loose microstructure. The water flux could drop continuously from tens of LMH bar−1 to <0.1 LMH bar−1 after more than ten hours. This result demonstrated that the structure of GO membranes prepared by current approaches was far from the ideal laminar structure. The high permeability of GO membranes observed could be contributed by the disordered membrane microstructure. Therefore, the transport mechanisms assuming perfect laminar structure in GO membranes, and the fast transport hypothesis may not fully describe the water transport in GO membranes. Interestingly, the loosely packed microstructure of GO membranes was also found reversible depending on the storage conditions.

Graphene oxide membranes, Membrane microstructure, Nanofiltration, Transport mechanism
0376-7388
385-392
Chong, Jeng Yi
2f9ead94-86f2-4e20-9e67-75f10759555b
Wang, Bo
55cee5a5-fd5f-4109-bc4d-06ee5e49e99f
Mattevi, Cecilia
58086c8a-9a2e-4ce7-b478-b7c8d22d5feb
Li, Kang
0f88a8e1-2691-46af-acb0-7176c79f5aa7
Chong, Jeng Yi
2f9ead94-86f2-4e20-9e67-75f10759555b
Wang, Bo
55cee5a5-fd5f-4109-bc4d-06ee5e49e99f
Mattevi, Cecilia
58086c8a-9a2e-4ce7-b478-b7c8d22d5feb
Li, Kang
0f88a8e1-2691-46af-acb0-7176c79f5aa7

Chong, Jeng Yi, Wang, Bo, Mattevi, Cecilia and Li, Kang (2018) Dynamic microstructure of graphene oxide membranes and the permeation flux. Journal of Membrane Science, 549, 385-392. (doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2017.12.018).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have been reported to be a promising separation barrier that can retain small molecules and multi-valent salts because of the well-defined interlayer space between GO flakes. However, while some studies suggested fast liquid transport through the extremely tortuous transport path, contradictory observations (e.g. low permeation flux) have also been obtained. This paper revealed the dynamic microstructure of GO membranes, which affected the membrane performance significantly. We showed that all GO membranes prepared by varied methods and on different substrates presented a severe reduction in water permeability during filtration, due to the compaction of their original loose microstructure. The water flux could drop continuously from tens of LMH bar−1 to <0.1 LMH bar−1 after more than ten hours. This result demonstrated that the structure of GO membranes prepared by current approaches was far from the ideal laminar structure. The high permeability of GO membranes observed could be contributed by the disordered membrane microstructure. Therefore, the transport mechanisms assuming perfect laminar structure in GO membranes, and the fast transport hypothesis may not fully describe the water transport in GO membranes. Interestingly, the loosely packed microstructure of GO membranes was also found reversible depending on the storage conditions.

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More information

Published date: 1 March 2018
Additional Information: Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the research funding provided by EPSRC in the United Kingdom (Grant no. EP/M022250/1). Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the research funding provided by EPSRC in the United Kingdom (Grant no. EP/M022250/1 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Authors
Keywords: Graphene oxide membranes, Membrane microstructure, Nanofiltration, Transport mechanism

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 486375
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/486375
ISSN: 0376-7388
PURE UUID: 870f26e6-e372-4500-a8d4-1a4cf6073490
ORCID for Jeng Yi Chong: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0593-6313

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Date deposited: 18 Jan 2024 19:26
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 02:20

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Contributors

Author: Jeng Yi Chong ORCID iD
Author: Bo Wang
Author: Cecilia Mattevi
Author: Kang Li

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