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Permanent electrospun superhydrophobic hybrid nanocomposite fibers for atmospheric fog harvesting
Uddin, M. Nizam
Uddin, M. Nizam
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dissertation
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2020-12
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Dissertation
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Electronic dissertations
Electronic dissertations
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Abstract
The scarcity of pure drinking water has been one of the major humanitarian challenges in
the globe. The world population growth, urbanization, and depleting water resources are
deteriorating the water quality and global climate change has also intensified this crisis especially
in countries with arid and semi-arid regions. The present study investigated the availability and
practical use of nanomaterials and membranes for the collection and production of pure drinking
water from various natural sources. The polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and recycled expanded
polystyrene (EPS) based nanofibers with the combination of microparticles and nanoparticles to
fabricate hierarchical structures where structural features of both the beetle’s back and spider silks
were integrated. The fiber's morphology, surface hydrophobicity, crystal structure, and fog
harvesting capacity of the nanocomposite fibers were investigated. The experimental tests of these
superhydrophobic nanocomposites demonstrated the feasibility of the freshwater production with
the daily water productivity of more than 1.49 liter/m2 of nanocomposites. It is estimated that the
materials cost of making such nanocomposites to supply minimum daily water consumption for a
household with 2 members (i.e., 6 liters) is only $4.96 (USD). The recycled EPS nanocomposite
fibers also displayed superhydrophobic characteristics with a water contact angle of 152.3° and
the feasibility of the freshwater production with the daily water productivity of more than 1.35
liter/m2. Besides, PAN/ Acrylamide monomer (AM) based hybrid hydrogel is also synthesized and
investigated its water vapor harvesting capacity where relative humidity (RH) is typically low and
it can be driven by the abundant source of solar-thermal energy with higher efficiency. Also, some
important recommendations are made based on our research results and current practices of
nanotechnology applications in the water production industry for freshwater production.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)-- Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Wichita State University
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© Copyright 2020 by Md. Nizam Uddin
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