Desalination and Nanofiltration through Functionalized Laminar MoS₂ Membranes

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2017 papers

Abstract

Laminar membranes of two-dimensional materials are excellent candidates for applications in water filtration due to the formation of nanocapillaries between individual crystals that can exhibit a molecular and ionic sieving effect, while allowing high water flux. This approach has been exemplified previously with graphene oxide, however these membranes suffer from swelling when exposed to liquid water, leading to low salt rejection and reducing their applicability for desalination applications. Here, we demonstrate that by producing thin (∼5 μm) laminar membranes of exfoliated molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) in a straightforward and scalable process, followed by a simple chemical functionalization step, we can efficiently reject ∼99% of the ions commonly found in seawater, while maintaining water fluxes significantly higher (∼5 times) than those reported for graphene oxide membranes. These functionalized MoS₂ membranes exhibit excellent long-term stability with no swelling and consequent decrease in ion rejection, when immersed in water for periods exceeding 6 months. Similar stability is observed when exposed to organic solvents, indicating that they are ideal for a variety of technologically important filtration applications.

Related Papers

• Nanofiltration – Principles and Applications(2004)
• → Purification of water containing mycoestrogens using ozonation and nanofiltration(2012)2 cited
• NanoFiltration and Application in Treatment of Drinking Water(2008)
• Nanofiltration Membrane Technology and Its Applications(2005)
• Treatment of Textile Dye Effluent Using a Self-made Positively Charged Nanofiltration Membrane(2012)