AP19679745 — Constructing cyanobacterial hup-mutants and developing a cultivation technology for increased hydrogen production

Purpose: The purpose of the study of this proposal is to study the relationship between the material structure and the surface mechanical properties of new biodegradable polymer nanocomposite membranes. This fundamental understanding will lead to an increase in the efficiency of oil and water separation.

Relevance: A new nanocomposite membrane system will be developed to improve the efficiency of oil and water separation. This is a new design concept for a membrane system that can become a revolutionary technology in a water treatment system. The proposed method is simple and economical, which saves energy and material consumption. The possibility of reuse and biodegradability are the main advantages of the proposed membrane.

Scientific supervisor: Ph.D., Professor, Toktarbay Zhexsenbek

Results obtained:  In this study, the surfaces of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, and graphene oxide were successfully functionalized through chemical modification, resulting in superhydrophobic properties. The synthesized nanomaterials were thoroughly characterized using various physicochemical techniques, confirming the effectiveness of the surface modification. These nanomaterials were used as fillers in polymer nanocomposite membranes, significantly enhancing their mechanical properties. Membranes were fabricated using electrospinning, casting, and spin-coating methods, and their oil–water separation performance was evaluated. It was found that fibrous-structured membranes exhibit high permeability and excellent separation efficiency. In addition, biodegradability studies and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted, revealing the relationship between membrane structure and performance characteristics.

List of publications with links to them 

1. Ardakkyzy A., Nuraje N., Toktarbay Z. Effects of electrospinning parameters on the morphology of electrospun fibers // Eurasian Chemico-Technological Journal. – 2024. – Vol. 26, No. 3. – P. 105–111. – DOI: https://doi.org/10.18321/ectj1634.
2. Tian W., Wang Y., Toktarbay Z. Effect of surface grafting on the oil–water mixture passing through a nanoslit: a molecular dynamics simulation study // Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials. – 2024. – Vol. 7, No. 6. – DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-024-01055-6.
3. Ardakkyzy A., Zulkarnayev A., Sarsengaliyeva A., Abeu N., Tileuberdi Y., Toktarbay Z., Nuraje N. Tunable oil–water separation using engineered cellulose membranes // Chemosphere. – 2025. – Vol. 382. – Article 144319. – DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144319.
4. Bexeitova K., Ardakkyzy A., Soltan R., Baisalova G., Nurgalieva D., Karibayev M., Toktarbay Z. Deep eutectic solvent assisted oil–water interfacial behavior on polystyrene surfaces: a computational study // Scientific Reports. – 2025. – Vol. 15, No. 1. – Article 35992. – DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-19783-0.