New technology for anodized alumina membrane development

In a paper posted online in the American Chemical Society's journal Nano, researchers from Osaka, Japan, have described their work developing an anodized alumina membrane with a grafted surface layer of azobenzene substituents. According to the paper, the membrane was able to achieve 99.9 percent removal of sodium chloride from a 3.5 percent solution, only when simultaneously under visible light and UV irradiation.

The researchers found that irradiation caused by the light combination produced an isomerization within azobenzene molecules that accelerated the rapid movement of membrane molecules, inducing vaporization of the liquid and its permeation through the 60µm thick hydrophobic membrane.

Mashairo Fujiwara, from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and a coauthor of "Photo Induced Membrane Separation for Water Purification and Desalination Using Azobenzene Modified Anodized Alumina Membranes", told WDR that the system is an advanced variation of direct solar desalination, which may be used in a membrane distillation system.

Dr Fujiwara said that the next step of the research is to employ direct sunlight and real seawater in their tests, adding, "At the present time, I have no specific commercialization plan."

WDR's current CDR for this technology is 4.2.

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