China3D printingNet, April 19, researchers at the University of Buffalo (UB) have developed a new type of3D printingWater purification graphene aerogel, which can be scaled for use in large-scale wastewater treatment plants.This new material is composed of foam-like aerogel, lattice graphene and two bio-inspired polymers, which can remove impurities, metals and organic solvents in drinking water with 100% efficiency.Unlike similar nanosheets, the scientist’s design is reusable, leaves no residue, and can3D printingInto a larger size, so their goal now is to commercialize it for industrial-scale deployment.
The co-author of the study, Nirupam Aich, assistant professor of environmental engineering at UB, explained: “The goal is to safely remove pollutants from the water without releasing any problematic chemical residues. The aerogels we make enter the water treatment system. It will maintain its structure and can be used in a variety of water treatment applications.”
Scientists on Kim wipes3D printingUltra-light G-PDA-BSA aerogel.The picture is from the University of Buffalo.
Purification potential of graphene
Graphene nanomaterials have the ability to simultaneously exert net electricity and hydrophobic interactions, and have recently become a promising means of absorbing water pollutants. In particular, graphene oxide (GO) derivatives of this material have been extensively tested for water purification purposes, but recovery of GO devices from industrial processes has proven difficult.
Recently, scientists have conducted experiments to assemble nanosheets into macroscopic aerogels to make them have higher absorption capacity and make them easier to recycle. However, due to processing limitations, such graphene aerogels are rarely deployed in processing facilities, which prevents them from being incorporated into industrial purification reactors, towers, and filters.
In contrast, direct ink writing (DIW) can provide users with precise control over the size, shape, and architecture of the parts produced, and the repeatability of the process makes it highly scalable. 3D printingIt has been used to create heat, energy, and biomedical graphene equipment, so Buffalo scientists speculate that it can also be used to develop mass-produced water purification systems.
3D printingInto the bottle cap water filtration system” alt=”The scientists put their aerogel3D printingInto the bottle cap water filtration system” width=”550″ height=”358″ />
Scientists put their aerogel3DPrint to the bottle cap water filtration system (as shown in the picture). Picture from “Environmental Science Nano” magazine.
Scalable water cleaning aerogel
In order to produce aerogels quickly and consistently, researchers first need to create a graphene-based ink that has the characteristics of absorbing water and preventing particle agglomeration.In order to achieve this goal, the Buffalo team added bio-inspired polydopamine (PDA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) to GO powder, resulting in a new type of viscoelastic optimized3D printingMaterial.
Use the modified Ultimaker 2 GO 3D printingThe researchers then made a cylindrical test sample measuring 12 mm (D) x 4 mm (H), and then frozen and freeze-dried it, leaving a G-PDA-BSA aerogel. In subsequent tests, the team repeatedly exposed its materials to water loaded with organic solvents to evaluate its ability to remove pollutants.
In each case, the graphene aerogel can remove 100% of the solvent while reducing colored dye contamination by up to 20%. In subsequent design iterations, the scientists even managed to reconfigure their aerogels so that heavy metals such as lead and chromium can be removed, as well as alloys that are still difficult to remove in current water purification facilities.
With further development, scientists believe that their scalable method can also be used to create other functionally reusable nanomaterials, and ultimately applied in the form of adsorbents, reactors or filters in water filtration plants.“We can not only use these aerogels to contain graphene particles, but also nano-metal particles that act as catalysts,” Aich concluded. “The future goal is to embed nano metal particles in the walls and surfaces of these aerogels. They can not only degrade or destroy biological pollutants, but also degrade or destroy chemical pollutants.”
3D printingpurifyer
Given3D printingAllowing low cost and design flexibility, it has been increasingly used to manufacture novel equipment that makes drinking water easier for those in need.Just last year, Blue Tap, a spin-off company of the University of Cambridge,3D printingThe chlorine meter has been funded by the British Innovation Foundation and can be installed in the water supply system of developing countries to ensure drinking safety.
Similarly, researchers at the University of Bath developed a3D printingThe water purification “plate” that uses the sun’s heat and ultraviolet rays to kill harmful microorganisms living in the liquid. The technology is designed to help provide clean drinking water to the more affluent Asian, African and Latin American communities.
More military significance is that GE Research recently received $14.3 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to3D printingA device that can produce water out of thin air. The portable system is under construction and can provide water to 150 soldiers at a time, and it can be used to solve water shortages around the world in the future.
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