title: New method of water purification based on the particle-exclusion phenomenon.
abstract: Colloidal particles in suspension are excluded from the vicinity of various hydrophilic surfaces. On the basis of this phenomenon, a novel method of water purification is proposed and tested. Proof-of-concept is demonstrated using a custom-made extractor that collected clean water from the annular "exclusion zone" within a Nafion tube. Up to 99.6% of particles could be removed from the suspension. The experimental results suggest that particle exclusion may provide a new framework for water purification from both organic and inorganic matter, as well as from harmful pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Box 355061, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Klyuzhin
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Symonds
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Magula
authors.forename: Gerald H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Pollack