Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes

From the human kidney to an innovative nanofluidic filter

Sophie Marbach (Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL).

The clear need in fresh water is one of the main challenges faced by humanity. While water desalination and water recycling involve costly separation processes in terms of energy, the domain has been boosted over the last decades by the progresses made in membrane technology for water purification, in particular by the possibilities offered by nanoscale materials. In this talk we investigate the physical mechanisms underlying one of the most efficient filtration devices: the kidney. Building on a minimal model of the Henle Loop — the central part of the kidney filtration —, we investigate theoretically the separation process in order to obtain bounds for its efficiency in terms of separation ability and energy consumption. A key discovery is that this separation device operates at a remarkably small energy cost as compared to traditional sieving processes, while working at much smaller pressures. The principles for such a "kidney on a chip" could be readily mimicked based on existing technologies to build compact and low-energy artificial dialytic devices. They also point to new avenues for advanced water recycling, in particular during sea-water pretreatment.

Mercredi 25 janvier à 17h45 en salle 646A.