Mr. Chetan Prakash Sharma

Laser-induced graphene and its polymeric composites with chemical and physical modifications have been utilized for many applications, including water purification technology and sensors for environmental monitoring. For example, water filtration membranes coated with LIG serve as antibacterial and anti-biofouling surfaces and are envisioned to utilize the surface’s electrical conductivity properties for monitoring environmental pollutants with on-site real-time applications. This work has reported a simple approach for preparing a mechanically robust polymer, LIG-coated composite water filtration membrane. For this purpose, an ultrafiltration membrane up to 20 cm x 30 cm was used as substrates, and conductive LIG porous surfaces were engraved using a 10.6 μm CO2 pulsed laser. After that, a 2.5 % PVA/glutaraldehyde was coated and immediately crosslinked at 175 °C using a heat gun. The prepared composite membranes showed good surface conductivity, mechanical-thermal stability, and high permeability ranging from 900-1300 LMHBar-1. Permeate water with 0.60 NTU was obtained using feed water containing sludge from a membrane bioreactor. This work demonstrates a method to scale up LIG composite membranes, a crucial step in determining their commercial potential in water technology applications.