Nanoscale Membrane to Purify Water During Moon Missions
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a cutting-edge water purification system using nanotechnology, which may soon be onboard future Moon missions.
Supported by a NASA Small Business Innovation Research grant, CU Boulder Assistant Professor Anthony Straub and his PhD student Kian Lopez have designed a nanoscale membrane that traps a thin layer of air and forces water to evaporate and re-condense, leaving impurities behind.
“Current membranes remove impurities based on size and charge and, as a result, allow for small impurities to bypass the membrane. What we’ve designed traps a very small layer of air inside a membrane and the only way for the water to cross the barrier is by evaporating and then re-condensing on the other side, which impurities inherently cannot do,” Straub said.
This process occurs over a span of just 100 nanometers and produces nearly pure H2O comparable to distillation-quality water. Unlike traditional systems that are bulky and prone to frequent maintenance, this compact and lightweight design requires only a pump to pressurize water. Such efficiency makes it ideal for space missions, where reducing cargo weight is essential.
Besides space application, however, nanoscale membranes can also be used in other industries. For instance, semiconductor manufacturing demands ultrapure water to ensure flawless chip production. Recognizing this market’s importance, Straub and Lopez filed provisional patents and participated in entrepreneurial programs at CU Boulder.
“This has been a four-year process, and at the beginning we didn’t know if it would work. We started with theory and then went into the lab to test. The fabrication has gone through several iterations here in the CU labs. Now we are moving towards a commercial product, and the performance is impressive,” Straub added.
Read the full article here to learn more about nanoscale membranes.
Are you looking for reliable water purification for your lab? Visit https://www.aquaa.com/ to discover affordable systems engineered to deliver reagent-grade, high-purity water.