From Mechanism to Decision in Thermally Driven Carbon-Membrane Desalination: Cross-Scale Reasoning and Reproducibility

Abstract

This review examines a shared methodological problem in thermally driven carbon-membrane desalination: how evidence from a monolayer array of carbon nanotubes as nanoscale transport pores can be placed in analytical dialogue with coupling a temperature gradient with graphene-channel surface wettability without erasing differences in scale, assumptions, or intended use. The analysis combines two focal publications with 12 previously verified sources and organizes the evidence around thermal driving, surface wettability, pore architecture, selectivity, and membrane fabrication. Rather than pooling incompatible outcomes, it compares research questions, representations, controls, and validation envelopes. The synthesis shows that thermal driving cannot be interpreted independently of surface wettability, while pore architecture determines whether an apparent improvement remains meaningful outside the original setting. The strongest claims are therefore those that expose sensitivity, failure conditions, and residual uncertainty. The resulting framework supports reproducible comparison while preserving differences between study designs, and it identifies concrete points at which transfer claims should be narrowed or retested.