| 초록 |
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been utilized in various forms for water treatment. Unique characteristics of CNT, however, have not been fully taken advantage of. Here we exploit the characteristics and corresponding attributes in devising an ultrafiltration membrane millimeter thick that can deliver a water permeance of close to 30,000 liters per square meter per hour (LMH) at 1 bar. The membrane consists only of vertically aligned CNT walls that provide 5 nm wide inner pores of CNTs that result when plasma-treated to open the fullerene CNT tips, and also 7 nm wide outer pores that form between CNT walls when CNTs of CNT forest are compressed and thus densified. Experimental results obtained in the process of fabricating the CNT wall membrane reveal that the permeance increases as the CNTs are more densified or the pore size is decreased and that this membrane have biofoulig resistance. |
