High flux ethanol dehydration using nanofibrous membranes containing graphene oxide barrier layers

作者：Yeh Tsung Ming; Wang Zhe; Mahajan Devinder; Hsiao Benjamin S; Chu Benjamin^*

来源：Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2013, 1(41): 12998-13003.

DOI：10.1039/c3ta12480k

In this study, pristine multilayered graphene oxide (GO) was coated by established methods onto a thin-film nanofibrous composite (TFNC) mat to form a high flux membrane for ethanol dehydration. The thickness of the GO layer was controlled from 90 to 300 nm by taking advantage of the self-assembly behavior of GO sheets. The low transfer barrier of the TFNC mat provides a distinct advantage due to its large bulk porosity (80%) with fully interconnected pore structures. Ethanol dehydration experiments showed that a 93 nm thick GO membrane had a permeate flux of 2.2 (kg m(-2) h(-1)) and a separation factor of 308 with a feed solution containing 80 wt% ethanol and 20% water at 70 degrees C, making the GO-TFNC system superior to commercial polymeric membranes. For example, the permeate flux of GO-TFNC is twice as high as that of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based commercial membrane. The morphology of the GO-TFNC membrane and the mechanism of water transport in the GO layer were also elucidated using SEM, TEM and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) techniques.

• 出版日期2013