UoI Develops Nanofilter Capable of Desalinating Water

University of Illinois researchers have developed a material that allows water to pass through nanopores that have the ability to block NaCl particles. ​It is the ​most efficient ​​thin-film ​membrane ​tested, ​filtering up to ​70% more water ​than graphene​.

A nanometre-thick sheet of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) covered with nanopore – is the most efficient of a number of thin-film membranes tested, filtering up to 70% more water than graphene.

The filter is essentially a 1 nanometre hole, the equivalent to 0.001µ (micron).

The material has been modelled to cope with high volumes of water and the choice of material was crucial, “MoS2 has inherent advantages in that the molybdenum in the centre attracts water, then the sulphur on the other side pushes it away, so we have much higher rate of water going through the pore,” said Mohammad Heiranian

Simulation box and different pore architectures

(a) Schematic of the simulation box consisting of a MoS2 sheet (molybdenum in blue and sulphur in yellow), water (transparent blue), ions (in red and green) and a graphene sheet (in grey).

(b) Left: Mo only pore type. Right: S only pore type. Bottom: mixed pore type.

The full findings can be read here: http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9616

Source: Future Desalination