Article
Engineering, Chemical
Liufu Zhang, Ruolin Zhang, Miaozhou Ji, Yang Lu, Yuzhang Zhu, Jian Jin
Summary: The PDIP process for preparing PA nanofiltration membranes shows superior rejection rates and uniform pore size compared to traditional methods, indicating a potential shift in the manufacturing mode for PA thin film composite membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ming Wang, Mengxin Li, Zhaohui Fei, Jiakun Li, Zhongyi Ren, Yingfei Hou
Summary: In this study, a novel polyamine called Cyclen is used as the monomer to construct a nanofiltration membrane. Through a surfactant-assembly regulated interfacial polymerization (SARIP) process, the phase transfer of Cyclen is intensified, resulting in a membrane with high permeance and perm-selectivity.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaolong Hu, Jingyu Bao, Daiwen Chen, Syed Jalil Shah, Sidra Subhan, Wenxue Gong, Wenyuan Li, Xinqi Luan, Zhongxing Zhao, Zhenxia Zhao
Summary: In this study, NH2-MIL-88B(Fe) (NM88) was modified and constructed with 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid (DB) and TPB-DMTP-COF (COF-OMe) to form NM88(DB)0.85/COF-OMe composite for photo-Fenton degradation of sulfamerazine (SMR). The modified composite exhibited higher degradation rates and good reusability compared to other reported catalysts, showing promising potential for practical applications.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Peishan Li, Long Jiang, Lingfeng Liu, Pengxiang Zhao, Gaoyi Xie, Xiaolong Xu, Changyu Liu, Jianbo Jia, Mingchao Liu, Mengchen Zhang
Summary: This paper proposes a strategy to stabilize graphene oxide membranes using chelation-based metal cation immobilization. By firmly immobilizing metal cations and decorating with hydrophilic groups, the membranes exhibit superior sieving performance for mono/divalent ions.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Farzaneh Radmanesh, Alberto Tena, Ernst J. R. Sudholter, Mark A. Hempenius, Nieck E. Benes
Summary: A series of cyclomatrix polyphosphazene films were prepared using nonaqueous interfacial polymerization method. The molecular structure and permselective properties of the films can be controlled by adjusting the amount of dissolved potassium hydroxide. The films showed excellent barrier properties and exhibited molecular sieving behavior with high hydrogen permselectivities.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zexin Qian, Henk Miedema, Louis C. P. M. de Smet, Ernst J. R. Sudholter
Summary: The study investigated the permeation selectivity in electro-dialysis of Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ using a supported liquid membrane (SLM). It was found that monovalent cations Na+ and K+ migrate in a dehydrated state, while divalent cations Ca2+ and Mg2+ migrate in a (partly) hydrated state. The overall permeation selectivity was determined by a combination of ion-exchange selectivity and electrophoretic mobility of the cations present in the membrane.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ping Hu, Bingbing Yuan, Q. Jason Niu, Kuo Chen, Zewen Xu, Bizhuo Tian, Xiaozhuan Zhang
Summary: In this study, a novel dual-functional acyl chloride monomer was designed and used as an organic phase additive to regulate the surface charge and pore structure of polyamide nanofiltration membranes. The results showed that the optimized membrane exhibited significantly improved rejections of Ca2+/Mg2+ and selectivity for mono-/divalent cations, as well as a preferable permeate flux. This membrane has great potential for water softening and lithium recovery from brine.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chi Jiang, Zhenyu Liu, Lin Jiang, Zhaohui Fei, Yingfei Hou
Summary: Defect-free ultrathin polyamide nanofilms with superior separation performance can be prepared by interfacial polymerization at free oil-water interface. The introduction of specific monomers and a new assembly design enhance the mechanical strength and selectivity of the membranes.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Cuihua Ma, Qinghua Li, Zhi Wang, Min Gao, Jixiao Wang, Xingzhong Cao
Summary: High-performance thin-film composite (TFC) membranes were prepared by interfacial polymerization, which exhibited remarkable improvement in gas separation performance due to the introduction of rigid and contorted structures.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
John R. Strikwerda, Kathiresan Natarajan, Steven M. Sine
Summary: The mechanism behind the fluctuations in ionic current through single AChR channels has been unknown. Recent research shows that mutating an intramembrane salt bridge in muscle AChR significantly increases the fluctuations in open channel current. In addition, extracellular divalent cations reduce high-frequency fluctuations and increase low-frequency fluctuations.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yanrui Wang, Hailin Chang, Shu Jiang, Jialong Chen, Jinlong Wang, Heng Liang, Guibai Li, Xiaobin Tang
Summary: The interfacial polymerization process between piperazine (PIP) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) was effectively regulated using a weak-polar organic solvent of ethyl formate (EF) to fabricate polyamide (PA) nanofiltration (NF) membranes with high ion selectivity and water permeability. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that EF involvement reduced interfacial tension and facilitated the diffusion of amine monomers into the organic phase, resulting in a PA film with higher crosslinking degree. The optimized PA NF membranes exhibited efficient rejection for divalent anions and cations, and high mono/divalent ion selectivity at sub-angstrom size.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Yuhui Xie, Xue Lv, Xinyi Sui, Song Tian, Li'an Jiang, Shulin Sun
Summary: Physicochemical double cross-linking nanocomposite hydrogels were prepared in this study. The addition of ionic liquid prevented Laponite from forming a high thixotropic gel in water. The dispersed Laponite nanosheets acted as dynamic physical crosslinking sites and formed a strong and tough hydrogel network structure when combined with the chemical crosslinking center of MBA in the polymer chain segments. The PAM/Laponite/IL nanocomposite hydrogel showed excellent tensile strength, high tensile strain, and remarkable toughness, making it a potential load-bearing material.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Mei Qun Seah, Woei Jye Lau, Pei Sean Goh, Boon Seng Ooi, Gwo Sung Lai, Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
Summary: This study investigated the effect of interfacial polymerization temperature on the properties of thin film nanocomposite (TFN) nanofiltration membrane containing surface-functionalized graphene oxide (GO). The membrane developed at 55 degrees C exhibited a more cross-linked and rougher polyamide layer, resulting in excellent Na2SO4 rejection. However, it also had higher protein adhesion due to the rougher surface. On the other hand, the TFN membrane developed at 0 degrees C had a thin and smooth polyamide layer, resulting in higher water flux and improved antifouling performance.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Peng Cheng, Tongren Zhu, Xiaoping Wang, Kaiming Fan, Yanling Liu, Xiao-mao Wang, Shengji Xia
Summary: The confined interfacial polymerization (CIP) method was used to synthesize polyamide (PA)-modified nanofiltration (NF) membranes with metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets, achieving a transition from 2D MOF membranes to polyamide NF membranes. The prepared membrane exhibited high rejection capacity and water permeance, outperforming both pristine MOF membranes and conventional PA membranes containing MOF nanosheets. The PA-modified MOF membrane also showed excellent stability and antifouling ability, providing a new strategy for efficient MOF-based NF membranes in water treatment applications.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yuchen Song, Dandan Chen, Demin Liu, Ran Hu, Yue Zhang, Yiwen Hu, Xiuduo Song, Feng Gao, Zhihui Xie, Jian Kang, Zhuo Zheng, Ya Cao, Ming Xiang
Summary: Polydopamine nanoparticles with varying l-arginine contents were synthesized and used to fabricate thin-film nanocomposite membranes. The chemical structure of the nanoparticles was found to influence the membrane properties, with increasing hydrophilicity and dispersibility observed with higher l-arginine content. Doping with l-arginine also resulted in a denser and smoother membrane structure. The TFN-PDNPs-IV membrane exhibited superior water permeability, salt rejection, and stability.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Shuangqiao Han, Wenhui You, Shihao Lv, Chaojun Du, Xiang Zhang, En Zhang, Junyong Zhu, Yatao Zhang
Summary: In this study, advanced Thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) nanofiltration membranes were fabricated using microporous materials. The addition of tetrakis(hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride (THPC)-modified COF nanosheets as an intermediate layer significantly improved the separation performance of the membranes. The high hydrophilicity and dispersion of the IL@COF-367 nanosheets in the aqueous phase allowed for uniform distribution of amine monomers and slowed down their diffusion towards the organic interface, resulting in a high-performance TFN membrane with enhanced permeability and rejection properties.
Article
Polymer Science
Shoutian Qiu, Zhuo Li, Xiangyue Ye, Xiang Ying, Jiemei Zhou, Yong Wang
Summary: This study investigates the swelling behaviors of thin films of polystyrene-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-polystyrene (PS-b-PDMS-b-PS) in linear alkanes and produces well-defined nanoporosities in the films through selective swelling-induced pore generation. The pore sizes and porosities are determined by the interaction between the alkanes and the constituent blocks. The results demonstrate that n-hexane can produce a porosity >30% at room temperature within a duration as short as 1 min. The porous films exhibit interconnected and accessible porosities, tunable flux, and excellent pressure resistance, indicating their potential applications in organic solvent filtration and oil/water separation.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Dongwei Ma, Zhe Zhang, Sen Xiong, Jiemei Zhou, Yong Wang
Summary: This study explores an additive manufacturing strategy using spray-coating to prepare large-area polyamide composite membranes with tunable thickness. By utilizing spray-coating, composite membranes consisting of polyamide layers and carbon nanotube layers are additively constructed on porous substrates. The polyamide thickness can be independently adjusted by changing monomer concentrations, and water permeance is found to be related to the thickness. A large-area membrane with high water permeance and rejection rate is successfully prepared under optimal conditions. This study suggests that additive manufacturing is shifting the traditional paradigm in the preparation of high-performance separation membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Shushan Yuan, Zhaohuan Mai, Zhao Yang, Pengrui Jin, Gang Zhang, Junyong Zhu, Hideto Matsuyama, Bart Van der Bruggen
Summary: A novel block copolymer, polyarylene sulfide sulfone/amide tertiary amine (PASS/ATA), with adjustable and uniform pores was designed for membrane fabrication. By oxidizing the groups in the molecular chains, the pore size of the membranes was narrowed down, improving dye rejection and enabling various separations including ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and organic solvent nanofiltration.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Danhua Wang, Miaomiao Tian, Shuangqiao Han, Kai Ding, Liya Yin, Junyong Zhu, Yatao Zhang, Li Han
Summary: In this study, nanosized AlPO-5 crystals were synthesized and used as functional fillers to construct thin-film nanocomposite membranes. The introduction of AlPO-5 not only increased the surface roughness of the membranes, but also reduced the thickness of the polyamide layer. This study highlights the usage of hierarchical zeolite molecular sieves for fabricating high-permeable polyamide membranes to enhance nanofiltration performance.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Congcong Yin, Ming Liu, Zhe Zhang, Mingjie Wei, Xiansong Shi, Yatao Zhang, Jingtao Wang, Yong Wang
Summary: This study demonstrates a strategy of solvent vapor annealing to reorient the pore channels of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) from anisotropic orientation to perpendicular alignment. The COF thin films with flexible N-H bonds enable molecular rearrangement. A solvent with low relative permittivity and a conjugated structure is used to easily penetrate the COF interlayers. The solvent vapor weakens the pi-pi interaction and allows the COF monolayers to dissociate, leading to the reorientation of COF pore channels and improved separation precision.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yiming Zhang, Kai Sheng, Zheng Wang, Wenjia Wu, Ben Hang Yin, Junyong Zhu, Yatao Zhang
Summary: A scalable and easy dip-coating method was used to create a thin CO2-selection layer of Pebax/PEGDA-MXene on a hollow fiber PVDF substrate. The interlayer spacing of the MXene stacks in the coating was designed to be 3.59 angstrom, allowing efficient separation of CO2 from N2 and CH4. CO2-philic nanodomains were constructed in the layer to enhance CO2 affinity, while non-CO2-philic nanodomains promoted CO2 transport. The membrane showed excellent separation performance, surpassing the 2008 Robeson upper bounds limitation.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xiaofeng Qian, Sen Xiong, Yuanyuan Rao, Ze-Xian Low, Zhaoxiang Zhong, Yong Wang
Summary: Addressing respiratory infectious diseases remains a top priority due to population growth, increasing international travel and commerce, and the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Facemasks are powerful tools to protect wearers from infections; however, intercepted microorganisms on the mask surface may lead to secondary infection. To solve this problem, atomic layer deposition is used to deposit robust ZnO layers on polypropylene nonwoven fabrics, enhancing the masks' filtration efficiency and granting them antibacterial and photocatalytic sterilization abilities.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhenshu Si, Zhe Zhang, Congcong Yin, Tong Ju, Mingjie Wei, Jun Huang, Yong Wang
Summary: Embedding functionalized covalent organic framework (COF) nanosheets in polyamide membranes can enhance the selectivity and permeability simultaneously, allowing for efficient lithium extraction from brine lakes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
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
Xiao Deng, Zhaohuan Mai, Haohan Wan, Junyong Zhu, Hideto Matsuyama, Shushan Yuan, Gang Zhang, Xiujing Xing, Bart Van der Bruggen
Summary: A novel and facile route to fabricate functional membranes with reversibly tunable and highly efficient filtration performance was developed by introducing amine oxide units in poly(arylene ether sulfone)/amide tertiary amine (PAES/ATA) copolymer. The smart membranes could be reversibly tuned between loose nanofiltration mode and ultrafiltration mode by cyclic acid-alkali treatment. This study provides a new approach for developing polymer membranes with switchable pores for multiple separation processes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhuo Li, Shoutian Qiu, Xiang Ying, Fangli Zhang, Xianli Xu, Yong Wang, Zhaoliang Cui
Summary: This study reports a new type of membrane distillation (MD) membranes with hydrophobic films carrying pores in the ultrafiltration range as the separation layers. These membranes are prepared by coating a triblock copolymer on the macroporous PVDF substrate and exhibit excellent wetting resistance, good heat resistance, and long-term stability.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Guangming Yan, Haoran Lu, Shushan Yuan, Xiao Deng, Junyong Zhu, Gang Zhang
Summary: A new category of copolymer, PES/ATA, was synthesized by grafting tertiary amines on polyaryl ether sulfone. These copolymers displayed excellent thermal properties and were used to fabricate ultrafiltration membranes. The filtration performance of these membranes could be reversibly tuned between acid oxidation and alkali treatment, allowing for adjustable water flux and improved rejection of methylene blue. The introduction of reactive TA units in the membranes enabled the reversible change of charge and adjustment of membrane pore size. In addition, the mechanical properties of these membranes remained unchanged after multiple treatment cycles. This study provides a novel and convenient method to fabricate functional membranes with reversible-tunable filtration properties.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ye Bian, Zhuolun Niu, Chencheng Zhang, Yue Pan, Yong Wang, Chun Chen
Summary: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) integrated into an organic polymer matrix can effectively control air pollutants. This study proposes a spray-initiation method to assemble nanoMOFs on electrospun fibers, resulting in composite fibers with small diameters. The developed ZIF-8-encrusted nanofiber membrane exhibits excellent filtration performance.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)