New method enables 3D printing graphene aerogel to create reusable water filter

According to foreign media reports, researchers at the University of Buffalo have developed a new method for 3D printing graphene aerogel, which can be used as a water filter. The team said that this technology helps to make graphene aerogels have enough scalability and stability to achieve the purpose of repeated use.

Although all these were done by graphene before -3D printing, making aerogel, and being used as water filter, the research team said that this was the first time that all three were realized at the same time.

In order to achieve the goal of integration, researchers have created a new type of graphene ink for 3D printers. They added two polymers to give them appropriate consistency - polydopamine and calf serum albumin - and then printed them onto a hexagonal grid. The structure is then freeze-dried into aerogel.

Subsequently, the team tested its ability to remove various pollutants from water. The results show that it is effective for organic solvents such as hexane, heptane, and toluene, and can remove 100% of pollutants in 10 cycles. In addition, it can also filter out heavy metals such as lead and chromium, as well as organic dyes such as anionic Evans blue and cationic methylene blue. However, in the last case, the effectiveness decreased by 20%.

In the past, graphene nanosheets have shown great potential in water filtration, but they are difficult to produce on a large scale. The research team said that graphene aerogel made by this new technology is easier to enlarge. They can also be reused without leaving any residue in the water coming out from the other side.

Nirupam Aich, co-author of the study, said: "Our goal is to safely remove pollutants from water without releasing any problematic chemical residues. The aerogels we created can maintain their structure when put into the water treatment system, and they can also be used for different water treatment applications."

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