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A Micro/Nano Engineering Laboratory Module on Superoleophobic Membranes for Oil-Water Separation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2017

Hussain Al-Qahtani ,
Michael S. H. Boutilier ,
Rahul Ramakrishnan  and
Rohit Karnik
Hussain Al-Qahtani*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, 31261 Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Michael S. H. Boutilier
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Rahul Ramakrishnan
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Rohit Karnik
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
*
*(Email: qahtanih@kfupm.edu.sa)
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Abstract

This article presents a laboratory module developed for undergraduate micro/nano engineering laboratory courses in the mechanical engineering departments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. In this laboratory, students fabricate superoleophobic membranes by spray-coating of titania nanoparticles on steel meshes, characterize the surfaces and ability of the membrane to retain oil, and then use these membranes to separate an oil-water mixture. The laboratory module covers nanomaterials, nanomanufacturing, materials characterization, and understanding of the concepts of surface tension and hydrostatics, with oil-water separation as an application. The laboratory experiments are easy to set up based on commercially available tools and materials, which will facilitate implementation of this module in other educational institutions. The significance of oil-water separation in the petroleum industry and integration of concepts from fluid mechanics in the laboratory module will help to illustrate the relevance of nanotechnology to mechanical and materials engineering and its potential to address some of the future societal needs.

Keywords

nanoscalefluidscanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Advances , Volume 2 , Issue 31-32: Broader Impact , 2017 , pp. 1699 - 1706
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2017 

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References

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