BENGALURU: Researchers from IISc have developed a thin penetrable membrane that can be used in filtration of water.
By mixing two polymers and adding some nanostructures, the researchers developed membranes with nano pores. The membranes were found to be more efficient in killing the bacteria commonly found in drinking water.Dr Suryasarathi Bose, Assistant Professor at the Department of Materials Engineering, who led the study, said, “The main advantage of membrane-based filtration system is that it works without the addition of chemicals, with relatively low energy and is an easy and well-arranged processes.”
The nano structures allows water to seep through the membrane quickly, thus speeding up the filtration process. Also, membranes with embedded nano structures were found to be more efficient in killing Escherichia coli, the micro-organism targeted in the study.
According to Dr Bose, “The major challenge in the membrane technology is to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria and other micro-organisms to increase its shelf life.”
Others in the team are Prof Giridhar Madras from the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Maya Sharma, a PhD student from the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, IISc. Their findings have been published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A, said a press release.