Mitigating leaks in membranes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901879-B2
Application number	US-201414530292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

Two-dimensional material based filters, their method of manufacture, and their use are disclosed. In one embodiment, a membrane may include an active layer including a plurality of defects and a deposited material associated with the plurality of defects may reduce flow therethrough. Additionally, a majority of the active layer may be free from the material. In another embodiment, a membrane may include a porous substrate and an atomic layer deposited material disposed on a surface of the porous substrate. The atomic layer deposited material may be less hydrophilic than the porous substrate and an atomically thin active layer may be disposed on the atomic layer deposited material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A membrane comprising:
an atomically thin active layer including a plurality of defects; and
a material deposited on the plurality of defects, wherein the material reduces flow through the plurality of defects, wherein a majority of a surface of the atomically thin active layer is free from the material, and wherein the material is retained in the membrane during use.

2. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the atomically thin active layer includes a plurality of open pores.

3. The membrane of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of open pores are functionalized.

4. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the atomically thin active layer is disposed on a porous substrate.

5. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the atomically thin active layer comprises a plurality of atomically thin active layers.

6. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the atomically thin active layer includes a plurality of pores that are smaller than the plurality of defects, and wherein the plurality of pores are unsealed.

7. The membrane of claim 6 , wherein the deposited material comprises a molecule, wherein a size of the molecule is less than a size of the plurality of defects and greater than a size of the plurality of pores.

8. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the deposited material is a stoichiometric material.

9. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the deposited material comprises at least two molecules bound together, each of which comprises a first end that is too large to pass through at least a portion of the plurality of defects and second end which is capable of passing through at least the portion of the plurality of defects.

10. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the deposited material comprises at least one of a polyamide, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, zinc carbonate, polyaniline, polypyrrole, and poly(lactic acid).

11. A method of forming a membrane, the method comprising:
depositing a material on a plurality of defects in an atomically thin active layer to reduce flow through the plurality of defects in the atomically thin active layer, wherein a majority of a surface of the atomically thin active layer is free from the material, wherein the material is retained in the membrane during use.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein depositing the material further comprises depositing the material in the plurality of defects.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising disposing the atomically thin active layer on a porous substrate.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein depositing the material comprises reacting a first reactant in a first phase with a second reactant in a second phase to deposit the material.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein depositing the material comprises sequentially exposing the atomically thin active layer to the first phase and the second phase.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first phase comprises at least one of a liquid and a gas and the second phase comprises at least one of a liquid and a gas.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first phase and the second phase are immiscible.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein reacting the first reactant in the first phase with the second reactant in the second phase comprises reacting the first reactant in the first phase with the second reactant in the second phase at an interface between the first phase and the second phase.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the atomically thin active layer comprises a plurality of atomically thin active layers.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the atomically thin active layer includes a plurality of pores that are smaller than the plurality of defects, and wherein depositing the material does not seal the plurality of pores.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein at least one of the first reactant and the second reactant comprises a molecule, wherein a size of the molecule is less than a size of the plurality of defects and greater than a size of the plurality of pores.

22. A membrane comprising:
a porous substrate;
an atomically thin active layer including a first plurality of defects in the atomically thin layer, wherein the atomically thin active layer is disposed on the porous substrate, wherein one or more pores of the porous substrate are associated with the plurality of defects; and
a material deposited in the one or more pores of the porous substrate to reduce flow through the first plurality of defects, wherein a majority of a surface of the atomically thin active layer is free from the material, and wherein the material is retained in the membrane during use.

23. The membrane of claim 22 , wherein the atomically thin active layer includes a plurality of open pores.

24. The membrane of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of open pores are functionalized.

25. The membrane of claim 22 , wherein the atomically thin active layer comprises a plurality of atomically thin active layers.

26. The membrane of claim 22 , wherein the atomically thin active layer includes a first plurality of pores that are smaller than the first plurality of defects, and wherein the first plurality of pores are unsealed.

27. The membrane of claim 22 , wherein the deposited material is a stoichiometric material.

28. The membrane of claim 22 , wherein the deposited material comprises at least one of a polyamide, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, zinc carbonate, polyaniline, polypyrrole, and poly(lactic acid).

29. A method of forming a membrane, the method comprising:
disposing an atomically thin active layer including a plurality of defects in the atomically thin layer on a porous substrate, wherein one or more pores of the porous substrate are associated with the plurality of defects; and
depositing a material in the one or more pores of the porous substrate to reduce flow through the plurality of defects, wherein a majority of a surface of the atomically thin active layer is free from the deposited material, and wherein the material is retained in the membrane during use.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein depositing the material comprises reacting a first reactant in a first phase with a second reactant in a second phase to deposit the material.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the first phase and the second phase are immiscible.

32. The method of claim 30 , wherein reacting the first reactant in the first phase with the second reactant in the second phase comprises reacting the first reactant in the first phase with the second reactant in the second phase at an interface between the first phase and the second phase.

33. The method of claim 32 , further comprising locating the interface within the porous substrate.

34. The method of claim 30 , wherein the first phase comprises at least one of a liquid and a gas and the second phase comprises at least one of a liquid and a gas.

35. The method of claim 29 , wherein the atomically thin active layer comprises a plurality of atomically thin active layers.

36. The method of claim 29 , wherein the atomically thin active layer includes a plurality of pores that are smaller than the plurality of defects, and wherein depositing the material does not seal the plurality of pores.

37. The method of claim 33 , wherein the atomically t

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology
• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Karnik Rohit N
• Bose Suman
• Boutilier Michael S H
• Hadjiconstantinou Nicolas G
• Jain Tarun Kumar
• OHERN Sean C
• Laoui Tahar
• Atieh Muataz A
• Jang Doojoon

Classifications

• C23C16/45555

  applied in non-semiconductor technology · CPC title

• B01D71/025

  Aluminium oxide · CPC title

• B01D2256/245

  Methane · CPC title

• B01D2257/504

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• B01D65/108

  Repairing membranes · CPC title