VOLTAGE-CONTROLLED ANION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE ENABLING SELECTIVE ION AFFINITIES FOR WATER DESALINATION AND DEVICE CONTAINING THE SAME
First Claim
1. An anion exchange membrane for a desalination device, comprising:
- a membrane support having a porous first side, a porous second side, and a continuous porous structure extending from the first side to the second side, the continuous porous structure including graphene oxide (GO) sheets and a plurality of negatively-charged oxygen functional groups coupled to the GO sheets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A desalination device includes a container, first and second electrodes, an anion exchange membrane (AEM), and a power source. The container contains saline water that has an elevated concentration of dissolved salts. The AEM separates the container into first and second compartments into which the first and second electrodes, respectively, are arranged. The AEM has a continuous porous structure and a plurality of negatively-charged oxygen functional groups coupled to the porous structure. The power source is configured to selectively apply a voltage to one of the first and second electrodes. The AEM has a selective permeability when the voltage is applied such that cations in the saline water solution have a first diffusion rate d1 therethrough and anions in the saline water solution have a second diffusion rate d2 therethrough. The first diffusion rate d1 is less than the second diffusion rate d2 and greater than or equal to zero.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An anion exchange membrane for a desalination device, comprising:
a membrane support having a porous first side, a porous second side, and a continuous porous structure extending from the first side to the second side, the continuous porous structure including graphene oxide (GO) sheets and a plurality of negatively-charged oxygen functional groups coupled to the GO sheets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A desalination device, comprising:
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a container configured to contain a saline water solution having an elevated concentration of dissolved salts; a first electrode and a second electrode arranged in a first compartment and a second compartment, respectively, of the container, the first and second electrodes configured to be arranged in fluid communication with the saline water solution; an anion exchange membrane (AEM) separating the first and second compartments, the AEM having a porous membrane structure and a plurality of negatively-charged oxygen functional groups coupled to the porous membrane structure; and a power source configured to selectively apply a voltage to one of the first and second electrodes, the AEM having a selective permeability when the voltage is applied such that cations in the saline water solution have a first diffusion rate d1 therethrough and anions in the saline water solution have a second diffusion rate d2 therethrough where 0≤
d1<
d2. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for desalinating water, comprising:
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filling first and second compartments of a container with a saline water solution having an elevated concentration of dissolved salts, the container including first and second electrodes arranged in the first and second compartments, respectively, and an anion exchange membrane (AEM) separating the first and second compartments; operating the first and second electrodes in a forward direction or a reverse direction to release cations into one of the first and second compartments and to remove cations from the other of the first and second compartments; and applying a membrane voltage to the AEM while operating the first and second electrodes, the membrane voltage decreasing a first diffusion rate of cations through the AEM and increasing a second diffusion rate of anions through the AEM relative to the first and second diffusion rates, respectively, when the membrane voltage is not applied to the AEM.
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Specification