Exploring the Union of Membranes and Nanotechnology in Water Production
The basic reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology that has revolutionized desalination is now more than 30 years old. Optimal separation performance, energy efficiency, and fouling resistance of conventional polymer membranes are nearly fully realized, but RO processes remain relatively non-selective, energy-intensive, and fouling-prone. These constraints remain in the face of rising worldwide demand for clean water and the sustainability imperatives to control energy use. Fortunately, nanotechnology brings forth entirely new classes of functional materials that can be explored for use in desalination as well as other water treatment applications.
In this talk, I will review the history of RO membrane development, relevant aspects of nanotechnology, and discuss examples of how the future of desalination may be shaped from the union of nanotechnology and membranes. Specifically, I will present preliminary results from our efforts to create of a new class of RO membranes through use of nanotechnology. Low-energy and fouling-resistant membranes already have been created and tested in the laboratory at UCLA. Eventually, nanotechnology may produce membranes with advanced functionality like on-demand tuning of rejection and catalytic reactivity as well as sensing, anti-fouling, and regenerative interfaces.