High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification
In recent years, nanotechnology-based approaches have resulted in the development of new alternative sustainable technologies for water purification. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for nanofiltration membranes. In this work, we report the production, characteri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/3/473 |
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| author | Natalia García Doménech Finn Purcell-Milton Adrián Sanz Arjona Maria-Luisa Casasín García Maeve Ward Marc Brunet Cabré Aran Rafferty Kim McKelvey Peter Dunne Yurii K. Gun’ko |
| author_facet | Natalia García Doménech Finn Purcell-Milton Adrián Sanz Arjona Maria-Luisa Casasín García Maeve Ward Marc Brunet Cabré Aran Rafferty Kim McKelvey Peter Dunne Yurii K. Gun’ko |
| author_sort | Natalia García Doménech |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, nanotechnology-based approaches have resulted in the development of new alternative sustainable technologies for water purification. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for nanofiltration membranes. In this work, we report the production, characterisation and testing of a promising nanofiltration membrane made from water-exfoliated boron nitride (BN) 2D nanosheets. The membranes have been tested for water purification and removal of typical water-soluble dyes such as methyl orange, methylene blue and Evans blue, with the water-exfoliated BN membranes achieving retention values close to 100%. In addition, we compared the performance of membranes made from water-exfoliated BN with those produced from BN using sonication-assisted liquid exfoliation in selected organic solvents such as 2-propanol and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. It was found that membranes from the water-exfoliated BN showed superior performance. We believe this research opens up a unique opportunity for the development of new high-performance environmentally friendly membranes for nanofiltration and new sustainable separation technologies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:24:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c41218db9a2a48818e054ac3d2ba44b8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:24:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-c41218db9a2a48818e054ac3d2ba44b82023-11-23T17:21:23ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912022-01-0112347310.3390/nano12030473High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water PurificationNatalia García Doménech0Finn Purcell-Milton1Adrián Sanz Arjona2Maria-Luisa Casasín García3Maeve Ward4Marc Brunet Cabré5Aran Rafferty6Kim McKelvey7Peter Dunne8Yurii K. Gun’ko9School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New ZealandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandIn recent years, nanotechnology-based approaches have resulted in the development of new alternative sustainable technologies for water purification. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for nanofiltration membranes. In this work, we report the production, characterisation and testing of a promising nanofiltration membrane made from water-exfoliated boron nitride (BN) 2D nanosheets. The membranes have been tested for water purification and removal of typical water-soluble dyes such as methyl orange, methylene blue and Evans blue, with the water-exfoliated BN membranes achieving retention values close to 100%. In addition, we compared the performance of membranes made from water-exfoliated BN with those produced from BN using sonication-assisted liquid exfoliation in selected organic solvents such as 2-propanol and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. It was found that membranes from the water-exfoliated BN showed superior performance. We believe this research opens up a unique opportunity for the development of new high-performance environmentally friendly membranes for nanofiltration and new sustainable separation technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/3/473nanofiltrationmembraneswater purificationsustainableseparation technologies2D nanomaterials |
| spellingShingle | Natalia García Doménech Finn Purcell-Milton Adrián Sanz Arjona Maria-Luisa Casasín García Maeve Ward Marc Brunet Cabré Aran Rafferty Kim McKelvey Peter Dunne Yurii K. Gun’ko High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification Nanomaterials nanofiltration membranes water purification sustainable separation technologies 2D nanomaterials |
| title | High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification |
| title_full | High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification |
| title_fullStr | High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification |
| title_full_unstemmed | High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification |
| title_short | High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification |
| title_sort | high performance boron nitride based membranes for water purification |
| topic | nanofiltration membranes water purification sustainable separation technologies 2D nanomaterials |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/3/473 |
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