Integrating Thermal Driving and Surface Wettability in Thermally Driven Carbon-Membrane Desalination: Design Trade-offs and Operational Evidence

Abstract

This review examines a shared methodological problem in thermally driven carbon-membrane desalination: how evidence from coupling a temperature gradient with graphene-channel surface wettability can be placed in analytical dialogue with a monolayer array of carbon nanotubes as nanoscale transport pores without erasing differences in scale, assumptions, or intended use. A structured reading of two target studies and 12 verified companion references is conducted across five lenses: thermal driving, surface wettability, pore architecture, selectivity, membrane fabrication. Emphasis is placed on the provenance of evidence, the comparability of baselines, and the consequences of alternative explanations. Comparison reveals recurring trade-offs among thermal driving, surface wettability, and pore architecture. These trade-offs do not support a universal ranking; instead, they identify the operating envelope within which each method remains credible and the perturbations most likely to expose fragile conclusions. On this basis, the review proposes an auditable pathway from focal mechanism to application claim, with explicit checkpoints for calibration, external validity, and responsible interpretation.