Patent ID: 9169579
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: B01D,B82Y,D01F,D06M,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for fabricating a nanotube immobilized membrane comprising: providing a hollow substrate, the substrate having a lumen and a pore structure; providing a plurality of non-soluble carbon nanotubes and at least one functionalizing reactant, the at least one functionalizing reactant including an acidic solution; delivering the plurality of non-soluble carbon nanotubes and the at least one functionalizing reactant to a microwave vessel; closing and sealing the microwave vessel; positioning the closed and sealed microwave vessel in a microwave reactor; subjecting the plurality of non-soluble carbon nanotubes and the at least one functionalizing reactant to microwave conditions via the microwave reactor at about 120° C. so that after the plurality of carbon nanotubes and the at least one functionalizing reactant are subject to the microwave conditions while in the closed and sealed microwave vessel, the plurality of carbon nanotubes are: (i) microwave-functionalized, and (ii) soluble in a solvent; removing the plurality of microwave-functionalized and soluble carbon nanotubes from the microwave vessel; dispersing at least a portion of the plurality of microwave-functionalized and soluble carbon nanotubes in a monomer or polymer solution to form a uniform dispersion of microwave-functionalized carbon nanotubes; introducing the uniform dispersion of microwave-functionalized carbon nanotubes into the pore structure of the substrate; polymerizing the uniform dispersion of microwave-functionalized carbon nanotubes so that after the uniform dispersion of microwave-functionalized carbon nanotubes is introduced into the pore structure of the hollow substrate and polymerized, at least one of the microwave-functionalized carbon nanotubes of the uniform dispersion is immobilized within the pore structure of the hollow substrate, and the at least one immobilized carbon nanotube is not encapsulated in the polymerized polymer so that the surface of the at least one immobilized carbon nanotube is available for active solute transport or exchange.