KVL Contributes in Composite Membranes Research at KAUST

Overview

A team of KAUST researchers led by postdoc Dr. Fernan Martinez and Prof. Cristian Picioreanu recently published a paper that provides new insights in the field of composite membranes research. In the article, Dr. Martinez developed a 3D solution friction model considering that the ions (Na+ and Cl-) move by a difference in concentration, pressure and electrical potential in the active layer. The results indicated that 2D active layer representation tends to overestimate salt flux. Furthermore, they evaluated the effect of the support layer on the salt permeability, and it was found that the support layer can reduce permeability by a longer transport path in the active layer. Finally, they highlighted that the effective active layer thickness (∼40 nm) was a third of the nominal thickness (∼120 nm), indicating that the values reported in the literature are overestimated. 

The paper's graphical abstract shown above illustrates the approach used in the paper. The paper entitled “Impact of active layer morphology on salt permeability in RO composite membranes: 3D modelling from TEM geometry and effective membrane thickness” can be accessed here.

KVL's visualization scientist Dr. Ronell Sicat supported Dr. Martinez in pre-processing the TEM scans, testing segmentation methods, and eventually post-processing the segmentation and extracted surfaces in order to get 3D geometries that were suitable for the target simulation software. KVL also provided free access to Avizo software and a powerful workstation with a pen-and-tablet interface that enabled faster manual segmentation of the TEM data.