Virus filter a world first
Scientists at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have developed ceramic membranes for nanofiltration which are so advanced they have the potential to remove viruses from water, air and blood.
It’s a world first, utilising more efficient manufacturing techniques than those currently in use for making ceramic membranes.
The nano-mesh, as its inventors have called it, has proved successful in removing viruses from water, said Associate Professor Huaiyong Zhu (pictured) of QUT’s School of Physical and Chemical Sciences.
Professor Zhu leads the team developing the membranes, which have characteristics superior to those currently available.
Current ceramic membranes cannot allow a high filtration flow while effectively filtering out unwanted particles or viruses. Another problem is that they often form pin holes and cracks during fabrication, resulting in wasted membranes.
“With this in mind we have introduced radical changes to the membrane texture because it is the texture which is crucial to the efficiency of separation,” Professor Zhu said.
Mesh structure is the most efficient form of filtration, he said, and the QUT scientists are the first to successfully develop such a nanometric mesh using ceramic fibres.
“This modification has increased the rates of flow that pass through the membranes by at least 10 times compared with current ceramic membranes, while maintaining the efficiency of capturing more than 96 per cent of the unwanted particles,” Professor Zhu said.
The membranes, which have been patented by QUT, could be used to filter airborne viruses like SARS and the avian flu virus.
They could also be used to filter water, because of their large flow capacity, and they could have applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
Professor Zhu says ceramic membranes have characteristics that distinguish them from other membranes – they function unaffected by organic and biological systems and by high temperatures, they can be readily cleaned and they have long operating lives.
The nanofibres are made from alumina and titanium, both elements found in abundance in Australia.
“It’s literally home-grown technology,” Professor Zhu said.
Website: http://www.sci.qut.edu.au
Last reviewed 24 July 2007
