Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are robust and proven as promising building blocks for oil/water separating membranes. However, according to classic fluid dynamic theory, achieving high permeation flux without sacrificing other membrane properties is a formidable challenge for CNT membranes, because of the trade-off nature among key membrane parameters. Herein, to relieve the trade-off between permeation fluxes, oil rejection rate, and membrane thickness, we present a new concept to engineer CNT membranes with a three-dimensional (3D) architecture. Apart from achieving high oil separation efficiency (>99.9%), these new oil/water separating membranes can achieve water flux as high as 5,500 L/m2.h.bar, which is one order of magnitude higher than pristine CNT membranes. Most importantly, these outstanding properties can be achieved without drastically slashing membrane thickness down to nanoscale. The present study sheds a new light for the adoption of CNT-based membranes in oil/water separation industry.
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机译：碳纳米管（CNT）坚固耐用，已被证明是油/水分离膜的有前途的基石。然而，根据经典的流体动力学理论，由于关键膜参数之间的折衷性质，在不牺牲其他膜性能的情况下实现高渗透通量是一个巨大的挑战。在本文中，为了减轻渗透通量，排油率和膜厚度之间的折衷，我们提出了一种新的概念来设计具有三维（3D）结构的CNT膜。这些新的油/水分离膜除了获得高的油分离效率（> 99.9％）外，还可以达到高达5,500 L / m 2 .h.bar的水通量，这是一个数量级。高于原始的CNT膜。最重要的是，无需大幅降低膜厚度至纳米级就可以实现这些出色的性能。本研究为油水分离行业中基于CNT的膜的应用开辟了新的亮光。
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