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In collaboration with the groups of
Prof. Joseph Hupp
and,
Prof. SonBinh Nguyen
we are fabricating novel nanoporous membranes for use
in extremely selective chemical separations.
These membranes are fabricated from "molecular squares"
synthesized by the chemistry groups. The squares have Re atoms
at each corner, connected by organic groups to create a cavity
with tunable diameter. The chemical nature of the squares
provides the opportunity to tailor pore sizes and shapes to a degree
only dreamed of with inorganic nanoporous materials. Once fabricated,
we characterize the membranes by techniques such as microscopy,
AFM, and X-ray diffraction, and then we test them in a membrane
apparatus for their separations potential.
This work was carried out by Ken Czaplewski. The
project was funded by a joint NSF grant to Profs. Hupp, Nguyen, and
Snurr and a current grant from the Department of Energy.
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