Abstract
The physics of nanofiltration is not well understood, as many types of membranes and filters exist, but they all interact very differently with the substance they are filtering. This research investigates membranes that can autonomously pump fluid through catalytic reactions. The first set of experiments was to collect zeta potential measurements as zeta potential is a critical property that directly affects fluid transport. Zeta potential was measured using the Anton Parr SURPASS 3, which measures the sample by streaming a given solution through a channel of membranes and uses the Smoluchowski equation to return the zeta potential value. Measurements were performed across varying pH values and salt concentrations to assess ionic effects. The results show zeta potential tends to be higher when in a lower pH and a lower salt concentration for the given membranes. The next part of the research observes the movement of particles through the membrane in the presence of ultraviolet light and different salt solutions. In microscale systems, sensors struggle to record accurate fluid flows, so as a solution, the measurements were taken from tracking the particles for better accuracy using a method called ‘particle tracking velocimetry.’ To do this, a microscope slide is prepared with fluorescent particles suspended in various solutions surrounding the membrane. A channel exists within the slide where an inverted microscope camera is used to take images of the particles. The images are collected, then used to find the various speeds of the particles with or without light present. This method will be utilized in the next part of the project's work. It is expected that there will be an increase in particle movement in the presence of ultraviolet light in each salt solution. In conclusion, nanofiltration is dependent on many factors due to the sensitive nature of the membranes. Future work in this project will involve replicating the previous work with new membranes to verify results.
Keywords
self-pumping membranes, photocatalysis, catalytic membrane
Date of this Version
7-28-2025
Recommended Citation
Farmer, Lily D.; Warsinger, David; and Anandan, Sudharshan, "Photocatalytic Self-Pumping Membranes" (2025). Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship. Paper 59.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/duri/59