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Title: Highly Selective Supported Graphene Oxide Membranes for Water-Ethanol Separation

Abstract

Polyethersulfone (PES)-supported graphene oxide (GO) membrane has been developed by a simple casting approach. This stable membrane is applied for ethanol/water separation at different temperatures. The 5.0 µm thick GO film coated on PES membrane showed a long-term stability over a testing period of one month and excellent water/ethanol selectivity at elevated temperatures. The water/ethanol selectivity is dependent on the ethanol weight percentage in the water/ethanol feed mixtures and the operating temperature. The water/ethanol selectivity was enhanced with an increase of ethanol weight percentage in water/ethanol mixtures and from below 100 at RT to close to 874 at 90 ºC for 90% ethanol/10% water mixture. Molecular simulations of water-ethanol mixtures in graphene bilayers that are considered to play a key role in transport revealed that molecular transport is negligible for layer spacing below 1 nm. The differences in the diffusion of ethanol and water in the bilayer are not consistent with the large selectivity value experimentally observed. The entry of water and ethanol into the interlayer space may be the crucial step controlling the selectivity.

Authors:
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1507524
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-130472
Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; graphene oxide; membrane; ethanol-water separation

Citation Formats

Shin, Yongsoon, Taufique, Mohammad Fuad Nur, Devanathan, Ram, Cutsforth, Erika C., Lee, Jaewon, Liu, Wei, Fifield, Leonard S., and Gotthold, David W. Highly Selective Supported Graphene Oxide Membranes for Water-Ethanol Separation. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-38485-y.
Shin, Yongsoon, Taufique, Mohammad Fuad Nur, Devanathan, Ram, Cutsforth, Erika C., Lee, Jaewon, Liu, Wei, Fifield, Leonard S., & Gotthold, David W. Highly Selective Supported Graphene Oxide Membranes for Water-Ethanol Separation. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38485-y
Shin, Yongsoon, Taufique, Mohammad Fuad Nur, Devanathan, Ram, Cutsforth, Erika C., Lee, Jaewon, Liu, Wei, Fifield, Leonard S., and Gotthold, David W. Tue . "Highly Selective Supported Graphene Oxide Membranes for Water-Ethanol Separation". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38485-y. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1507524.
@article{osti_1507524,
title = {Highly Selective Supported Graphene Oxide Membranes for Water-Ethanol Separation},
author = {Shin, Yongsoon and Taufique, Mohammad Fuad Nur and Devanathan, Ram and Cutsforth, Erika C. and Lee, Jaewon and Liu, Wei and Fifield, Leonard S. and Gotthold, David W.},
abstractNote = {Polyethersulfone (PES)-supported graphene oxide (GO) membrane has been developed by a simple casting approach. This stable membrane is applied for ethanol/water separation at different temperatures. The 5.0 µm thick GO film coated on PES membrane showed a long-term stability over a testing period of one month and excellent water/ethanol selectivity at elevated temperatures. The water/ethanol selectivity is dependent on the ethanol weight percentage in the water/ethanol feed mixtures and the operating temperature. The water/ethanol selectivity was enhanced with an increase of ethanol weight percentage in water/ethanol mixtures and from below 100 at RT to close to 874 at 90 ºC for 90% ethanol/10% water mixture. Molecular simulations of water-ethanol mixtures in graphene bilayers that are considered to play a key role in transport revealed that molecular transport is negligible for layer spacing below 1 nm. The differences in the diffusion of ethanol and water in the bilayer are not consistent with the large selectivity value experimentally observed. The entry of water and ethanol into the interlayer space may be the crucial step controlling the selectivity.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-38485-y},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {2}
}

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