Advanced Nanostructured Membranes

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 2238

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: macroscopic and microscopic molecular dynamics simulation of the transport process of porous media; electrochemical properties of charged solids; controlled preparation and surface modification of high-efficiency nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanostructured membranes can be defined as membranes with an internal or surface nanostructure. This could be a dense membrane incorporated with nanomaterials, a porous membrane with nanoscale pores, or a combination of both. In recent years, advanced nanostructured membranes have emerged, demonstrating enormous development potential in fields such as water purification, wastewater treatment, and gas separation. The purpose of this journal is to collect and publish research and experiments on nanomaterials or structures in the field of membranes in order to better showcase the application prospects of advanced nanostructured membranes. We invite submissions of original research articles or comprehensive reviews on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Nanocomposites of nanostructured membranes;
  • Nanostructured membranes for gas separation;
  • Nanostructured membranes for water purification or wastewater treatment;
  • Computation and modeling of nanostructured membranes;
  • Preparation method of nanostructured membranes;
  • Research reviews of nanostructured membranes.

Dr. Haochen Zhu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanostructured
  • membranes
  • material
  • function
  • water treatment
  • gas separation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4825 KiB  
Article
Investigation into the Simulation and Mechanisms of Metal–Organic Framework Membrane for Natural Gas Dehydration
by Qingxiang Song, Pengxiao Liu, Congjian Zhang, Yao Ning, Xingjian Pi and Ying Zhang
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(19), 1583; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14191583 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 951
Abstract
Natural gas dehydration is a critical process in natural gas extraction and transportation, and the membrane separation method is the most suitable technology for gas dehydration. In this paper, based on molecular dynamics theory, we investigate the performance of a metal–organic composite membrane [...] Read more.
Natural gas dehydration is a critical process in natural gas extraction and transportation, and the membrane separation method is the most suitable technology for gas dehydration. In this paper, based on molecular dynamics theory, we investigate the performance of a metal–organic composite membrane (ZIF-90 membrane) in natural gas dehydration. The paper elucidates the adsorption, diffusion, permeation, and separation mechanisms of water and methane with the ZIF-90 membrane, and clarifies the influence of temperature on gas separation. The results show that (1) the diffusion energy barrier and pore size are the primary factors in achieving the separation of water and methane. The diffusion energy barriers for the two molecules (CH4 and H2O) are ΔE(CH4) = 155.5 meV and ΔE(H2O) = 50.1 meV, respectively. (2) The ZIF-90 is more selective of H2O, which is mainly due to the strong interaction between the H2O molecule and the polar functional groups (such as aldehyde groups) within the ZIF-90. (3) A higher temperature accelerates the gas separation process. The higher the temperature is, the faster the separation process is. (4) The pore radius is identified as the intrinsic mechanism enabling the separation of water and methane in ZIF-90 membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Membranes)
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Review

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31 pages, 7283 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances on the Positively-Charged Nanofiltration Membranes for Mg2+/Li+ Separation Through Interfacial Polymerization
by Xinyu Zeng, Chunchun Meng, Zihan Xu, Xinwu Li, Haochen Zhu and Guangming Li
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(13), 967; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15130967 - 22 Jun 2025
Viewed by 646
Abstract
The rapid development of the global energy industry has driven an escalating worldwide demand for lithium resources. As a major lithium source, salt lake brines contain abundant divalent ions that hinder efficient lithium extraction. Compared with conventional lithium recovery technologies, nanofiltration membranes emerge [...] Read more.
The rapid development of the global energy industry has driven an escalating worldwide demand for lithium resources. As a major lithium source, salt lake brines contain abundant divalent ions that hinder efficient lithium extraction. Compared with conventional lithium recovery technologies, nanofiltration membranes emerge as an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative. Over the past decade, interfacial polymerization has been widely adopted to fabricate nanofiltration membranes for lithium–magnesium separation, with studies confirming the superior performance of positively charged membranes in distinguishing monovalent and divalent cations. This review systematically summarizes recent advancements in positively charged nanofiltration membranes synthesized via interfacial polymerization for lithium–magnesium separation, categorizing the design strategies into five distinct approaches. The correlations between intrinsic membrane structural characteristics and separation performance are critically analyzed. Furthermore, current challenges and future research directions are discussed to provide new perspectives for developing high-performance positively charged composite nanofiltration membranes. This work aims to inspire innovative designs and accelerate the practical implementation of nanofiltration technology in lithium extraction from salt lake brines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Membranes)
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