Project Details
Project Description
Separations are crucial in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Membrane technology has a growing relevance as a sustainable and competitive method. Developing highly selective membranes for processes like nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and gas separation. Membrane fabrication is a solution process that requires huge amounts of solvents with generation of waste. Many of these solvents have already restrictions of use with perspective of being banned. Greener alternatives must be found to guarantee the future of the membrane industry. The focus of this project is the identification of new natural solvents and their use to fabricate nanoengineered membranes.
About the Researcher
Affiliations
Education Profile
- Postdoc and Humboldt Fellow, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Campinas, Brazil, 1985
Research Interests
Professor Nunes' research interests are new polymeric materials for membrane manufacture, characterization and application, particularly for nanofiltration, pervaporation and gas separation.Selected Publications
- S. P. Nunes, P. Z. Culfaz-Emecen, G. Z. Ramon, T. Visser, G. H. Koops, W. Jin, M. Ulbricht, Thinking the future of membranes: Perspectives for advanced and new membrane materials and manufacturing processes, J. Membr. Sci. 2020, 598, 117761.
- T. Huang, B. A. Moosa, P. Hoang, J. Liu, S. Chisca, G. Zhang, M. Alyami, N. M. Kashab, S. P. Nunes, Molecularly-porous ultrathin membranes for highly selective organic solvent nanofiltration, Nature Comm 2020, 11, 5882.
- J. Liu, S. Wang, T. Huang, P. Manchanda, E. Abou-Hamad, S. P. Nunes, Smart covalent organic networks (CONs) with ""on-off-on"" light-switchable pores for molecular separation, Sci. Adv. 2020, 6, eabb3188.
- S. Wang, L.Yang, G. He, B. Shi, Y. Li, H. Wu, R. Zhang, S. Nunes, Z. Jiang, Two-dimensional nanochannel membranes for molecular and ionic separations, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2020, 49, 1071-1089.
- M. D. Vincenzo, A. Tiraferri, V.-E. Musteata, S. Chisca, R. Sougrat. L. Huang, S. P. Nunes, M. Barboiu, Biomimetic artificial water channel membranes for enhanced desalination, Nature Nanotechnology 2021, 16, 190-196.
Desired Project Deliverables
Solubilization of polymers in potential green solvents.
Characterization by electron microscopy, chemical analysis and performance in nanofiltration or gas separation experiments.
Integration into membranes in form of multilayers in the form of flat-sheet or hollow fibers with controlled porosity.
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