CNT-polyamide nanocomposite membranes for gas and water

E Marand and A Surapathi and WF Chan and HY Chen and DL Chen and XH Shao and JK Johnson, NANOTECHNOLOGY 2012, VOL 3: BIO SENSORS, INSTRUMENTS, MEDICAL, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, 684-686 (2012).

We have developed asymmetric carbon nanotube/polyamide membranes for gas sorption and desalination applications. The carbon nanotubes are functionalized with zwitterionic groups that control the sorption of gases and the rejection of ionic species while permitting the transport of water. The molecular-level events controlling the adsorption of gases and the transport of fluids through functionalized carbon nanotubes, including entrance effects have been studied using molecular dynamics. The simulations show that water signflcantly changes the adsorption dynamics of gases and that ions are rejected through a combination of electrostatic and steric factors.

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