# US 2016/0250596 A1 · Modulation of ion transport in a liquid by application of an electric potential on a mesoporous carbon membrane > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0250596 A1 - Document ID: US20160250596A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/633,412 - Filed: 2015-02-27 - Published: 2016-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-27 - Assignees: UT-Battelle, LLC - Applicants: UT-Battelle, LLC - Inventors: Sheng Dai; Shannon Mark Mahurin; Xiqing Wang; Sumedh Pradeep Surwade; Ivan Vlassiouk - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160250596A1 ## CPC - C02F 1/4604: {for desalination of seawater or brackish water} - B01D 61/422: {Electrodialysis} - B01D 69/02: characterised by their properties - B01D 71/0212: {Carbon nanotubes} - C02F 1/4698: {electro-osmosis} - A61K 9/0009: {involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis} - B01D 61/54: Controlling or regulating - B01D 2311/20: Power consumption - B01D 2313/36: Energy sources - B01D 2313/367: Renewable energy sources, e.g. wind or solar sources - B01D 2325/02831: less than 1 nm - B01D 2325/02832: 1-10 nm - B01D 2325/02833: more than 10 and up to 100 nm - C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination - Y02W 10/37: using solar energy - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D) - Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT ## Abstract A method for regulating ion transport between first and second regions of a liquid solution containing ionic species in at least one of said first and second regions, the method comprising applying a voltage on an electrically conductive mesoporous carbon membrane situated between said first and second regions of the liquid solution, wherein liquid flow between first and second regions is permitted only through said mesoporous carbon membrane, and the applied voltage is selected to modulate the degree of ion transport between said first and second regions, wherein an increase in applied voltage results in a reduction in the degree of ion transport between said first and second regions, optionally up to a critical voltage at which ion transport ceases. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for regulating ion transport between first and second regions of a liquid solution containing ionic species in at least one of said first and second regions, the method comprising applying a voltage on an electrically conductive mesoporous carbon membrane situated between said first and second regions of the liquid solution, wherein liquid flow between first and second regions is permitted only through said mesoporous carbon membrane, and the applied voltage is selected to modulate the degree of ion transport between said first and second regions, wherein an increase in applied voltage results in a reduction in the degree of ion transport between said first and second regions, optionally up to a critical voltage at which ion transport ceases. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said liquid solution is aqueous-based. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said mesoporous carbon membrane contains mesopores having a pore size of 2 to 30 nm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said mesoporous carbon membrane contains mesopores having a pore size of 2 to 20 nm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said mesoporous carbon membrane is also microporous by having micropores having a pore size of less than 2 nm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein macropores greater than 50 nm are substantially absent in the mesoporous carbon membrane. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said voltage is up to one volt. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said voltage is provided by solar energy. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said solar energy is provided by at least one photovoltaic device in electrical communication with said conductive mesoporous carbon membrane. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said method is a desalination method in which the liquid in said first region contains a dissolved inorganic salt, and said critical voltage at which ion transport ceases is applied on said mesoporous carbon membrane to prevent ion transport from said first region into said second region while permitting flow of the liquid without ions through the mesoporous carbon membrane from said first region into said second region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein said mesoporous carbon membrane is also microporous by having micropores having a pore size of less than 2 nm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the liquid in said first region is seawater. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein said critical voltage is provided by solar energy. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein said solar energy is provided by at least one photovoltaic device in electrical communication with said conductive mesoporous carbon membrane. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said method is a chemical separation method in which the liquid in at least one of said first and second regions contains a dissolved organic ionic species, and said critical voltage at which ion transport ceases is applied on said mesoporous carbon membrane to prevent ion transport of organic ionic species between said first and second regions while permitting flow of the liquid without said organic ionic species through the mesoporous carbon membrane. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein said organic ionic species is a reaction byproduct, whose separation from a non-ionic reaction product results in a purified reaction product. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein said organic ionic species is a reaction product, whose separation from a non-ionic reaction byproduct results in a purified reaction product. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said method is a method for controlled intravenous release of an ionic drug to a patient, wherein said first region comprises said ionic drug dissolved in an aqueous-based pharmaceutically acceptable medium, and said second region flows intravenously to a patient and contains said aqueous-based pharmaceutically acceptable medium without said ionic drug except as permitted by passage of the ionic drug through the mesoporous carbon membrane, and wherein a rate of drug flow from said first region to said second region, and hence, rate of drug flow to the patient, is determined by appropriate selection of the voltage applied to the mesoporous carbon membrane that separates said first and second regions. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, during or after said regulation of ion transport, a step of monitoring the ion concentration in said first or second region in order to correlate the degree of ion transport with the voltage used. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the ion concentration is monitored by monitoring electrical conductivity or ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy of said first or second region.