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Advanced Functional Membrane Materials: Fabrication and Applications

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 922

Special Issue Editor

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 102488, China
Interests: membrane science and technology; MOF synthesis; pervaporation; biofuel recovery; water treatment; gas separation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced functional membranes have attracted the attention of chemical scientists and engineers around the world, owing to their unparalleled advantages, such as exceptional selectivity, permeability, and tunable physicochemical properties. Various types of membrane materials including polymers, metal oxides, carbon-based substances (e.g., CNTs, GO), MOFs, COFs, and HOFs, are currently intensively studied. Innovations in synthesis techniques could enable the scalable production of membranes with hierarchical structures. Furthermore, machine learning and computational modeling may accelerate the discovery of novel materials with tailored properties.

The present Special Issue of Molecules aims to present the latest original advances in advanced functional membrane materials, which show amazing performance in broad fields, such gas separation (e.g., carbon capture, natural gas purification, alkene/alkane separation), pervaporation (biofuel production, solvent dehydration), battery separators (lithium-ion, solid-state batteries), biomedical uses (hemodialysis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), and environmental applications (water treatment, pollution remediation). I invite you to submit an inspiring manuscript for this Special Issue. Original articles and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Heng Mao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • functional membrane material
  • nanochemistry
  • polymeric synthesis
  • molecular design
  • synthesis method
  • material processing
  • catalysis and separation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

29 pages, 4651 KB  
Review
Advances in Polyimide Membranes for Gas Separation: Synthesis, Modification, and Application
by Qiu-Ying Zhang, Heng Mao, Meng Wen, Bing-Hong Chen, Qian-Qian Li, Yan-Mei Zhang and Zhi-Ping Zhao
Molecules 2025, 30(17), 3507; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173507 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 708
Abstract
Membrane technology is widely used in gas separation processes due to its small footprint, high energy efficiency, and favorable economic viability. The current membrane market predominantly relies on polymer membranes, among which polyimide (PI) membranes stand out as highly promising materials due to [...] Read more.
Membrane technology is widely used in gas separation processes due to its small footprint, high energy efficiency, and favorable economic viability. The current membrane market predominantly relies on polymer membranes, among which polyimide (PI) membranes stand out as highly promising materials due to their superior gas separation performance coupled with exceptional thermal and chemical stability. However, traditional polyimide membranes suffer from low gas permeability and insufficient plasticization resistance, hindering their broader industrial application. In order to meet the demands of more stringent application fields, it is crucial to further improve their gas performance and anti-plasticization to enhance their cost-effectiveness. Consequently, it is essential to modify traditional polyimides and formulate membrane fabrication strategies to solve these problems. This review introduces the monomer structures and synthesis approaches of polyimides, including solution-based and solid-state thermal condensation. Then, we propose representative preparation methods of polyimide-based membranes. Additionally, modification strategies, including thermal rearrangement, cross-linking, and physical blending, are summarized, which address the critical issues in contemporary polyimide-based gas separation membranes. Finally, this review critically discusses the current challenges and prospects for developing polyimide membranes for gas separation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Membrane Materials: Fabrication and Applications)
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