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Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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Coating Methods and Functionalization of Polyamide Membranes with Microgel Antifoulants

Description
In order to produce efficient reverse osmosis membranes, it is necessary to minimize the effects of outside factors on the membrane surface that can reduce the flux of water through the membrane. One such problem is fouling. Fouling happens when particles are deposited on the membrane surface, blocking water flow…

In order to produce efficient reverse osmosis membranes, it is necessary to minimize the effects of outside factors on the membrane surface that can reduce the flux of water through the membrane. One such problem is fouling. Fouling happens when particles are deposited on the membrane surface, blocking water flow through the membrane. Over time, the collection of foulants will prevent water through the membrane, increasing the amount of energy required in the system. Microgel, a heat-responsive colloidal gel, shows promise as an anti-foulant coating as it possesses functional groups similar to the membrane and compatible with common foulants and changes volume due to temperature differences. By coating the membrane with the microgel, foulants will attach to the functional groups of the microgel instead of those of the membrane Our hypothesis is that the change in volume of the microgel with different temperatures will help reduce and remove foulants. By functionalizing the surface of the membrane and the microgel, the microgel can covalently bond to the membrane surface and avoid detachment under reverse osmosis conditions. Microgel-coated reverse osmosis membranes have been fluorescently fouled to measure the decrease in foulants with heated crossflow under fluorescent microscopy. This process has shown a 50% decrease in fluorescence on the surface of the membrane indicating a decrease in foulants due to the presence of microgel. Under cross-flow conditions with a low flow rate, the microgel remains on the functionalized membrane for 8 hours with similar anti-fouling performance as the dip-coating process.
ContributorsKraetz, Andrea Nicole (Author) / Thomas, Marylaura (Thesis director) / Perreault, Francois (Committee member) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Materials Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05