Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hao Yang, Jinhui Xu, Hui Cao, Jie Wu, Dan Zhao
Summary: Transition metal-based homogeneous photocatalysts offer a wealth of opportunities for organic synthesis, but they can be rare and challenging to immobilize for recycling. In this study, the authors successfully recovered ruthenium and iridium photocatalysts using covalent organic framework (COF) membranes with tunable pore sizes. The recovered catalysts showed high catalytical performance, recovery rates, and permeance in multiple photochemical reactions, and the COF membranes also facilitated the isolation and purification of small organic molecules. These findings have the potential to revolutionize pharmaceutical and fine chemical synthesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tim Croes, Abhishek Dutta, Robin De Bie, Korneel Van Aelst, Bert Sels, Bart Van der Bruggen
Summary: Organic solvent nanofiltration membranes were used to fractionate birch derived RCF lignin oil. The silicon-based membranes from Borsig and Evonik showed the best performance in separating lignin into different functional fractions, with monomer separation factors up to 7.4 and a permeate fraction with 88% phenolic monomer purity. Furthermore, batch diafiltration and two-stage filtration increased the separation factor to 25.4 and the monomer purity of the permeate to 95%.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Keng Siang Goh, Yunfeng Chen, Jeng Yi Chong, Tae Hyun Bae, Rong Wang
Summary: The study successfully developed a thin-film composite membrane with excellent performance and stability for pharmaceutical concentration and solvent recovery. The membrane, after cross-linking treatment and synthesis of thin-film composite through interfacial polymerization, was solvent-activated to enhance permeability. In experiments, the membrane showed good permeability and rejection rates for acetone and methyl red.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Dan Ren, Shuping Ren, Yakai Lin, Jianhong Xu, Xiaolin Wang
Summary: Applications of solute purification, solvent recovery, and solvent separation in organic solvents are expanding in chemical industries, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. Membrane separation technology offers fast and efficient separations. Novel materials and preparation methods have enabled the development of organic solvent resistant membranes.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Noriaki Kato, Hiroki Awaji, Hideto Matsuyama
Summary: In this study, crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite membranes were developed for organic solvent separation. The influence of PDMS molecular weight and crosslinking on membrane properties and performance was tested, and it was found that membranes prepared with lower molecular weights of PDMS showed lower permeability and higher separation coefficient. A correlation was observed between the separation coefficient and the difference of chi parameters between alcohol/PDMS and hexane/PDMS.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yawen Zhang, Dongyun Chen, Najun Li, Qingfeng Xu, Hua Li, Jinghui He, Jianmei Lu
Summary: In this study, stable lamellar membranes were prepared by electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bond formation between polycation polyethyleneimine (PEI) and negatively charged MXene. The interlayer d-spacing of the membrane could be changed by adjusting the suspension pH, allowing for precise molecular separation and high organic solvent penetration. Moreover, the insertion of PEI did not hinder the passage of water molecules. The optimized MXene-PEI membranes showed excellent channel stability.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoon-Tae Nam, Jun-Hyeok Kang, Jae-Dong Jang, Jun-Hyuk Bae, Hee-Tae Jung, Dae-Woo Kim
Summary: Graphene-based membranes are considered promising candidates for efficient organic solvent nanofiltration due to their unique structural characteristics, and nanopore fabrication has been found to enhance solvent permeance and selectivity. This review categorizes the membranes based on structure and discusses the challenges and perspectives for commercializing nanoporous graphene membranes.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Eric Ziemann, Arindam Kumar Das, Paramita Manna, Revital Sharon-Gojman, Michal Sela-Adler, Charles Linder, Roni Kasher, Roy Bernstein
Summary: This study presents a facile method to fabricate crosslinked polyethersulfone membranes with remarkable stability in organic solvents. The performance of the membranes can be easily adjusted by controlling the polymer fraction. The weeklong filtration experiment highlights the excellent stability of the membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiaofan Luo, Zhenggong Wang, Shanshan Wu, Wangxi Fang, Jian Jin
Summary: This study successfully prepared a new generation of OSN membranes through metal ion cross-linking, which exhibit excellent stability in various organic solvents and high rejection rates to dyes. Compared to traditional chemical cross-linkers, metal ion cross-linking does not significantly reduce membrane permeability, and also improves membrane compaction resistance.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rifan Hardian, Abdulaziz Alammar, Tibor Holtzl, Gyorgy Szekely
Summary: Membrane technologies have shown promise as an energy-efficient alternative for separation processes in various industries. This study focuses on the fabrication of oil and solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes using cellulose and chitosan blends. The membranes exhibited outstanding separation performance and chemical stability, even in harsh solvents. By adjusting the cellulose-chitosan ratio, the molecular sieving properties of the membranes could be fine-tuned. The membranes also showed biodegradation potential, contributing to the sustainable lifecycle of membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jianghai Long, Xiansong Shi, Tong Ju, Xingyuan Wang, Zhe Zhang, Yong Wang
Summary: Researchers have developed a simple and efficient strategy for synthesizing covalent organic polymer (COP) membranes with interconnected micropores. These membranes have a thin thickness (approximately 20 nm), hydrophobicity, and uniform pore size, allowing for fast permeation of organic liquids with a molecular weight cutoff of 388 g mol(-1). This study presents a scalable method for producing highly microporous COP membranes for efficient molecular separation in organic liquids.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jiahui Hu, Sushil Kumar, Rifan Hardian, Cong Yang, Gyorgy Szekely
Summary: In this study, polyamide and polyester thin-film composites (TFCs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were fabricated as selective layers on a polyimide aerogel support for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes. The polyimide aerogel support exhibited high stability and porosity, enabling high solvent flux. Both the experimental and predicted molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) values were obtained for the COFs and polyester TFC membranes. The operating temperature had minimal effect on the OSN performance.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peng Li, Hongxue Xie, Yanfei Bi, Congcong Miao, Kuo Chen, Tengteng Xie, Shengchao Zhao, Haixiang Sun, Xiujie Yang, Yingfei Hou, Jason Niu
Summary: This experiment used cross-linked polyimide (PI) as raw material and Noria as a nanoparticle additive to prepare a composite ultrafiltration membrane through non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS). The nanofiltration membrane was then prepared by interfacial polymerization method. The results showed that the composite membranes had significantly enhanced hydrophilicity, improved pure water and methanol flux, and high dye retention rate, indicating excellent nanofiltration performance suitable for application in organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN).
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sharafat Ali, Izaz Ali Shah, Ihsanullah Ihsanullah, Xianshe Feng
Summary: Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) is a promising technology for separating organic solvents in various industries. This review examines the use of nanomaterials, such as COFs, MOFs, MOs, and CBMs, in OSN membranes. The advances in nano-based OSN membranes, including TFN membranes and MMMs, are discussed, as well as the challenges and recommendations for further research in this field.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ze-Xian Low, Junjie Shen
Summary: Through static aging experiments and cross-flow aging protocols, the stability of four commercial OSN membranes in different organic solvents was studied. The results showed that acetonitrile had the most significant effect on the membranes, and polyimide-based membranes exhibited signs of aging with increasing temperature. The new cross-flow aging protocol can facilitate rapid screening of OSN membranes for industrial use.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
