Reframing Thermally Driven Carbon-Membrane Desalination: Measurement Chains and Validation Design

Abstract

The literature on thermally driven carbon-membrane desalination contains a recurring tension between methodological novelty and evidential comparability. By reading a monolayer array of carbon nanotubes as nanoscale transport pores alongside coupling a temperature gradient with graphene-channel surface wettability, this article clarifies the conditions under which their conclusions can support a common research argument. 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. 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.