Minimising non-selective defects in ultrathin reduced graphene oxide membranes with graphene quantum dots for enhanced water and NaCl separation

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2021.12.009

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2022, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (1): 278-285.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2021.12.009

• Separation Science and Engineering • Previous Articles Next Articles

Minimising non-selective defects in ultrathin reduced graphene oxide membranes with graphene quantum dots for enhanced water and NaCl separation

Shi Yuan¹, Yang Li¹, Ruosang Qiu¹, Yun Xia¹, Cordelia Selomulya^1,2, Xiwang Zhang¹

1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia;
2 School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia

Received:2021-06-30 Revised:2021-12-11 Online:2022-02-25 Published:2022-01-28
Contact: Xiwang Zhang,E-mail address:Xiwang.Zhang@monash.edu
Supported by:
This project is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science through the Australia– China Science and Research Fund (ACSRF48154), and is conducted as part of the research program at the Australia-China Joint Research Centre in Future Dairy Manufacturing (http://acjrc.eng.monash.edu/), in collaboration with the Australia Research Council Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation (IH 170100009).

Minimising non-selective defects in ultrathin reduced graphene oxide membranes with graphene quantum dots for enhanced water and NaCl separation

Shi Yuan¹, Yang Li¹, Ruosang Qiu¹, Yun Xia¹, Cordelia Selomulya^1,2, Xiwang Zhang¹

1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia;
2 School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia

通讯作者: Xiwang Zhang,E-mail address:Xiwang.Zhang@monash.edu
基金资助:
This project is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science through the Australia– China Science and Research Fund (ACSRF48154), and is conducted as part of the research program at the Australia-China Joint Research Centre in Future Dairy Manufacturing (http://acjrc.eng.monash.edu/), in collaboration with the Australia Research Council Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation (IH 170100009).

Abstract

Abstract: Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membranes have been intensively evaluated for desalination and ionic sieving applications, benefiting from their stable and well-confined interlayer channels. However, rGO membranes generally suffer from low permeability due to the high transport resistance resulting from the narrowed two-dimensional (2D) channels. Although high permeability can be realized by reducing membrane thickness, membrane selectivity normally declines because of the formation of nonselective defects, in particular pinholes. In this study, we demonstrate that the non-selective defects in ultrathin rGO membranes can be effectively minimised by a facile posttreatment via surfacedeposition of graphene quantum dots (GQDs). The resultant GQDs/rGO membranes obtained a good trade-off between water permeance (14 L·m^-2·h^-1·MPa^-1) and NaCl rejection (91%). This work provides new insights into the design of high quality ultrathin 2D laminar membranes for desalination, molecular/ ionic sieving and other separation applications.

Key words: rGO membranes, Graphene quantum dots, Non-selective defects, Water permeance, NaCl rejection

摘要： Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membranes have been intensively evaluated for desalination and ionic sieving applications, benefiting from their stable and well-confined interlayer channels. However, rGO membranes generally suffer from low permeability due to the high transport resistance resulting from the narrowed two-dimensional (2D) channels. Although high permeability can be realized by reducing membrane thickness, membrane selectivity normally declines because of the formation of nonselective defects, in particular pinholes. In this study, we demonstrate that the non-selective defects in ultrathin rGO membranes can be effectively minimised by a facile posttreatment via surfacedeposition of graphene quantum dots (GQDs). The resultant GQDs/rGO membranes obtained a good trade-off between water permeance (14 L·m^-2·h^-1·MPa^-1) and NaCl rejection (91%). This work provides new insights into the design of high quality ultrathin 2D laminar membranes for desalination, molecular/ ionic sieving and other separation applications.

关键词: rGO membranes, Graphene quantum dots, Non-selective defects, Water permeance, NaCl rejection

Shi Yuan, Yang Li, Ruosang Qiu, Yun Xia, Cordelia Selomulya, Xiwang Zhang. Minimising non-selective defects in ultrathin reduced graphene oxide membranes with graphene quantum dots for enhanced water and NaCl separation[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2022, 41(1): 278-285.

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Minimising non-selective defects in ultrathin reduced graphene oxide membranes with graphene quantum dots for enhanced water and NaCl separation

Minimising non-selective defects in ultrathin reduced graphene oxide membranes with graphene quantum dots for enhanced water and NaCl separation

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