Nanoporous Insulating Oxide Deionization Device Having Asymmetric Electrodes and Method of Use Thereof

A nanoporous insulating oxide deionization device, method of manufacture and method of use thereof for deionizing a water supply (such as a hard water supply), for desalinating a salt water supply, and for treating a bacteria-containing water supply. The device contains two composite electrodes each constructed from a conductive backing electrode and a composite oxide layer being an insulating oxide or a non-insulating oxide and an intermediate porous layer. The composite layer being substantially free of mixed oxidation states and nanoporous and having a median pore diameter of 0.5-500 nanometers and average surface area of 300-600 m.sup.2/g. The composite layer made from a stable sol-gel suspension containing particles of the insulating oxide, the median primary particle diameter being 1-50 nanometers. The difference in zeta potential, at a pH in the range of 6-9, being sufficient to suitably remove alkaline and alkaline earth cations (such as Ca.sup.2+ and Na.sup.1+), various organic and other inorganic cations and organic and inorganic anions from water, preferably household hard water. One composite layer being constructed from a mixture of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 and/or Mg-doped Al.sub.2O.sub.3 particles, and the other composite layer being constructed from SiO.sub.2 or TiO.sub.2.

本发明涉及一种纳米多孔绝缘氧化物去离子装置及其制备与使用方法，可用于对供水（如硬水供水）进行去离子处理、对盐水供水进行脱盐处理，以及对含菌供水进行净化处理。该装置包含两组复合电极，每组复合电极均由导电基底电极、复合氧化物层（绝缘氧化物或非绝缘氧化物）以及中间多孔层构成。该复合层基本无混合氧化态，呈纳米多孔结构，其中值孔径为0.5~500纳米，平均比表面积为300~600 m²/g。该复合层由稳定的溶胶-凝胶悬浮液制备而成，该悬浮液含有绝缘氧化物颗粒，其中值一次粒径为1~50纳米。在pH值为6~9的条件下，两组复合层的泽塔电位（Zeta Potential）差值足以从水中（优选家用硬水）去除碱金属及碱土金属阳离子（如Ca²+与Na+）、各类有机及其他无机阳离子，以及有机与无机阴离子。其中一组复合层由Al₂O₃、MgAl₂O₄以及/或镁掺杂Al₂O₃颗粒的混合物构成，另一组复合层由SiO₂或TiO₂构成。