Membrane-based technologies for water purification and desalination have been increasingly applied to address the global challenges of water scarcity and the pollution of aquatic environments. However, progress in water purification membranes has been constrained by the inherent limitations of conventional polymeric membrane materials.
Herein, we proposed a novel nano-mesh graphene membrane for water desalination. Sub nanometer pores in graphene provide passage to the water molecules and prohibit ion transport. Well-controlled, high-density sub-nanometer pores will be created in the highly crystalline graphene basal plane to form a nano-mesh graphene. This nano-mesh graphene will be transformed into a membrane using wet-filtration zipping technology. The membrane performance in water desalination will be evaluated by employing reverse osmosis (RO). Our approach to fabricate the nano-mesh graphene and its membrane using wet-filtration zipping technology can be concatenated with the current cellulose paper manufacturing technology thereby possessing a huge industrial potential.
It is expected that nano-mesh graphene membranes will drive water desalination to its maximum extent, resolving the global and regional water crisis effectively. Furthermore, the research objectives allow revealing fundamental aspects of water desalination using novel nano-mesh graphene membranes and set a benchmark for the design and development of more efficient advanced membranes and facilities. Their successful implementation in large-scale industrial processes will promote a paradigm shift in water desalination of sea water, and stimulate future research in water treatment and desalination, dialysis, fuel cells, as well as emission conversion.
