Committee

Prof. Youjiang Wang – School of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor) Prof. Karl I. Jacob – School of Materials Science and Engineering, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering (co-advisor)
Prof. Donggang Yao – School of Materials Science and Engineering
Prof. Hamid Garmestani – School of Materials Science and Engineering
Prof. S. Mostafa Ghiaasiaan – George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

The proposed study aims to design, synthesize, investigate, and model a novel aerogel-based membrane, offering an innovative and reliable solution for the membrane distillation process. Membrane distillation (MD) technology is widely considered a promising next-generation technology for sustainable seawater desalination. However, the current utilization of commercial membranes, such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), in MD often results in challenges such as low flux rates, reduced energy efficiency, scaling, bio-fouling, and wetting. This study will explore the optimal design of a graphene aerogel (GA) based membrane, targeting enhanced performance in both traditional MD and photothermally driven MD processes. This study mainly consists of three parts: Molecular dynamic studies on graphene flakes size, inclusion diameter, and operating temperature on membrane performance in an MD process to establish a relationship between structure and performance, with a focus on the mass/ heat transfer mechanisms of aerogels in MD applications at the nano-scale; Fabrication of GA-based membranes with tailor-made macro geometries and micro-surface morphologies using 3D-printed template casting technique; Physics-informed neuron networks (PINN) for optimizing the designing of GA-based membrane for MD application and may be established as performance predictive tools to facilitate future investigations and improvements.