Fabrication of nanoporous aluminum-oxide composite membranes

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Physical Society Vol. 67; no. 11; pp. 1970 - 1976
• Main Authors: Athinarayanan, Balasankar, Jeong, Dae-Yeong, Kang, Jong-Hyeon, Koo, Bong-Ho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Korean Physical Society 01.12.2015; 한국물리학회
• Subjects: Mathematical and Computational Physics; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Theoretical; 물리학; Composite membranes; Anodic aluminum oxide; Anodic oxidation; Ultrafiltration; Straight-pore channels
• ISSN: 0374-4884; 1976-8524
• DOI: 10.3938/jkps.67.1970

To overcome the poor mechanical property of anodic aluminum-oxide (AAO) membranes, we tried to develop AAO/Al composite membranes consisting of membrane cells with straight-pore channels of 40 to 100 nm in diameter and a mesh-like pattern acting as a supporting layer by using UV-light lithography followed by wet-etching for the formation of a mesh-like pattern and anodic oxidation followed by wet-etching for the formation of nano-pores with desired specifications. As a result, AAO/Al composite membranes with breaking pressures of over 5 bar, which is an upper bound for ultra- and micro-filtration, could be fabricated. An AAO/Al composite membrane with a water permeability as high as 130 L/m 2 ·h·bar could be fabricated. The composite membranes developed in the present study can be used in micro- and ultra-filtration of severe environments with relatively high economic efficiency and large margins in the flow rate and the breaking pressure.