MEMBRION INC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 09b

Description

There is a pressing need to reduce the cost of water desalination to meet global requirements for fresh and secure water sources. New advanced membrane materials must be manufactured at scale to meet this need because membranes are the largest cost & performance contributor water desalination systems. In-situ characterization techniques for membranes made via continuous manufacturing are a key enabler of large-scale membrane manufacturing; however, a lack of available technologies has limited the successful manufacturing of membranes made from novel advanced materials. This Phase I project will address this problem by developing an in-situ infrared thermography characterization technology that is low cost and adaptable for a wide range of materials. An advanced composite ceramic membrane will be used in development of the technology. Membranes will be analyzed for performance limiting defects and the infrared thermography tool will be optimized for speed and resolution. The rapid feedback provided by such a system will enable manufacturers to iterate more quickly and be confident in a consistent product through the quality control aspect of this tool. Beyond membranes for desalination, this technology could be widely adopted for advanced thin film materials made by continuous manufacturing, such as battery separators or flexible, printed batteries and photovoltaics. This taxpayer funded investment will have a multi-faceted impact in the form of job creation, new manufacturing tools, environmental benefits and federal tax revenue.