Abstract
Vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) membranes have attracted significant attention for water purification owing to their ultra-high water permeability and antibacterial properties. In this paper, we critically review the recent progresses in the synthesis of VACNT arrays and fabrication of VACNT membrane methods, with particular emphasis on improving water permeability and anti-biofouling properties. Furthermore, potential applications of VACNT membranes other than water purification (e.g., conductive membranes, electrodes in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, and solar electricity–water generators) have been introduced. Finally, future outlooks are provided to overcome the limitations of commercialization and desalination currently faced by VACNT membranes. This review will be useful to researchers in the broader scientific community as it discusses current and new trends regarding the development of VACNT membranes as well as their potential applications.
Highlights
The membrane process is regarded as a key technology for clean water production, wastewater regeneration and desalination [1,2,3]
Youn et al evaluated the synthesis of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) based on a temperature gradient using thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), and demonstrated that the growth rate and nanotube structure of VACNTs are dependent on the gas dwell time in each thermal zone [54]
There is a carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with internal compartments, called bamboo-like CNT (B-CNT), which is a challenging material in the energy storage field and can be synthesized with delicately prepared catalysts through a chemical vapor process [89,90], or using a dual template method involving the Rayleigh-instability transform [91]
Summary
The membrane process is regarded as a key technology for clean water production, wastewater regeneration and desalination [1,2,3]. Membranes 2020, 10, 273; doi:10.3390/membranes10100273 www.mdpi.com/journal/membranes to their high mechanical strength, chemical stability, and thermal and electrical conductivity [9,10,11] Their antibacterial properties and rapid molecular transport through the inner core of the CNT are conducive to membrane fabrication [12]. Based on these characteristics, CNTs are considered as membranes that can lower the limit of energy consumption in water purification, especially in desalination. The membrane difficulties exhibits faced by VACNT membranes the research into solving are the VACNT orders-of-magnitude flowand enhancement over other pores them of similar described, and other than water purification are introduced comprehensively to give sizes, owing tothe theapplications atomic smoothness of the inner wall of CNTs and confinement effects of their size, researchers a new perspective. The difficulties faced by VACNT membranes and the research into solving them are described, and the applications other than water purification are introduced comprehensively to give researchers a new perspective
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