Amjad Muhammad Umar, Ahmed Bilal Anjum, Ahmed Faisal, Saeed Hasan Aftab
Department of Mechanical Engineering (CEME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad 4600, Pakistan.
Membranes (Basel). 2022 Feb 2;12(2):179. doi: 10.3390/membranes12020179.
A unique approach was utilized to develop multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) silver (Ag) membranes. MWCNTs were impregnated with 1 wt% Ag loading, which resulted in a homogeneous dispersion of Ag in MWCNTs. MWCNTs impregnated with Ag were then uniaxially compacted at two different pressures of 80 MPa and 120 MPa to form a compact membrane. Compacted membranes were then sintered at two different temperatures of 800 °C and 900 °C to bind Ag particles with MWCNTs as Ag particles also act as a welding agent for CNTs. The powder mixture was characterized by FESEM, thermogravimetric analysis, and XRD, while the developed samples were characterized by calculating the porosity of membrane samples, contact angle, water flux and a diametral compression test. The developed membranes showed overall large water flux, while maximum porosity was found to decrease as the compaction load and sintering temperature increased. The mechanical strength of the membranes was found to increase as the compaction load increased. The hydrophilicity of the membranes remained unchanged after the addition of Ag particles. The developed membranes would be useful for removing a variety of contaminants from water.
采用了一种独特的方法来制备多壁碳纳米管（MWCNT）银（Ag）膜。MWCNT中浸渍了1 wt%的Ag，这使得Ag在MWCNT中均匀分散。然后，将浸渍有Ag的MWCNT在80 MPa和120 MPa这两种不同压力下进行单轴压实，以形成致密膜。接着，将压实后的膜在800℃和900℃这两种不同温度下烧结，使Ag颗粒与MWCNT结合，因为Ag颗粒也充当CNT的焊接剂。通过场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM）、热重分析和X射线衍射（XRD）对粉末混合物进行表征，而通过计算膜样品的孔隙率、接触角、水通量和径向压缩试验对制备的样品进行表征。制备的膜总体上显示出较大的水通量，而最大孔隙率随着压实负荷和烧结温度的升高而降低。发现膜的机械强度随着压实负荷的增加而提高。添加Ag颗粒后，膜的亲水性保持不变。制备的膜可用于去除水中的各种污染物。
