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Highly Permselective Nanofiltration Membrane

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Membranes and Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2024) | Viewed by 1628

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
Interests: nanochannel membranes; organic solvent nanofiltration; environmental response; supermolecule; polymer of intrinsic microporosity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the process industry, material separation accounts for over 50% of the total costs. The pore diameter of the nanofiltration (NF) membrane is 0.5–2.0 nm, and its molecular weight cut-off is 100–2000 g/mol. Similar molecule or ion separation processes could be achieved by NF based on its special mechanisms, including pore size screening and Donnan exclusion, etc.; however, in this special and complex separation scale, there are common problems, such as a low separation accuracy, complex large-scale preparation processes, and high production costs, which seriously restrict the development of nanofiltration membranes.

This Special Issue will include advanced NF membranes and membrane processes for the high-efficiency separation of monovalent and divalent ions, drug purification and separation, solvent recovery, and wastewater recycling as well as zero discharge technologies.

Dr. Meiling Liu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • membrane materials
  • membrane structure
  • membrane fouling
  • organic solvent nanofiltration
  • water treatment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3273 KiB  
Article
Optical Characteristics of a New Molecular Complex: “Nafion–Colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS Nanocrystals”
by Svetlana L. Timchenko, Sergey A. Ambrozevich, Evgenii N. Zadorozhnyi, Nikolai A. Zadorozhnyi, Alexander V. Skrabatun and Evgenii A. Sharandin
Polymers 2024, 16(14), 2092; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16142092 - 22 Jul 2024
Viewed by 552
Abstract
Here, the optical properties of the Nafion polymer membrane containing colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals embedded by diffusion have been studied. The CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals have a core/shell/shell appearance. All experiments were carried out at room temperature (22 ± 2) °C. A toluene solution was used [...] Read more.
Here, the optical properties of the Nafion polymer membrane containing colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals embedded by diffusion have been studied. The CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals have a core/shell/shell appearance. All experiments were carried out at room temperature (22 ± 2) °C. A toluene solution was used to provide mobility to the active sulfone groups of the Nafion membrane and to embed the nanocrystals inside the membrane. The diffusion process of colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals into Nafion proton exchange membrane has resulted in a new molecular complex “Nafion–colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals”. The kinetics of the nanocrystals embedding into the membrane matrix was investigated using luminescence analysis and absorption spectroscopy techniques. The embedding rate of CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals into the Nafion polymer membrane was approximately 4·10−3 min−1. The presence of new luminescence centers in the membrane was proved independently by laser emission spectroscopy. The luminescence spectrum of the resulting molecular complex contains intensity maxima at wavelengths of 538, 588, 643 and 700 nm. The additional luminescence maximum observed at the 643 nm wavelength was not recorded in the original membrane, solvent or in the spectrum of the semiconductor nanoparticles. The luminescence maximum of the colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals was registered at a wavelength of 634 nm. The intensity of the luminescence spectrum of the membrane with embedded nanocrystals was found to be higher than the intensity of the secondary emission peak of the initial nanocrystals, which is important for the practical use of the “Nafion–colloidal nanocrystals” complex in optical systems. The lines contained in the luminescence spectrum of the membrane, which has been in solution with colloidal nanocrystals for a long time, registered upon its drying, show the kinetics of the formation of the molecular complex “Nafion membrane–nanocrystals”. Colloidal nanocrystals located in the Nafion matrix represent an analog of a luminescent transducer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highly Permselective Nanofiltration Membrane)
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Review

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25 pages, 2457 KiB  
Review
Synergistic Construction of Sub-Nanometer Channel Membranes through MOF–Polymer Composites: Strategies and Nanofiltration Applications
by Qian Chen, Ying Tang, Yang-Min Ding, Hong-Ya Jiang, Zi-Bo Zhang, Wei-Xing Li, Mei-Ling Liu and Shi-Peng Sun
Polymers 2024, 16(12), 1653; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16121653 - 11 Jun 2024
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Abstract
The selective separation of small molecules at the sub-nanometer scale has broad application prospects in the field, such as energy, catalysis, and separation. Conventional polymeric membrane materials (e.g., nanofiltration membranes) for sub-nanometer scale separations face challenges, such as inhomogeneous channel sizes and unstable [...] Read more.
The selective separation of small molecules at the sub-nanometer scale has broad application prospects in the field, such as energy, catalysis, and separation. Conventional polymeric membrane materials (e.g., nanofiltration membranes) for sub-nanometer scale separations face challenges, such as inhomogeneous channel sizes and unstable pore structures. Combining polymers with metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which possess uniform and intrinsic pore structures, may overcome this limitation. This combination has resulted in three distinct types of membranes: MOF polycrystalline membranes, mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs), and thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. However, their effectiveness is hindered by the limited regulation of the surface properties and growth of MOFs and their poor interfacial compatibility. The main issues in preparing MOF polycrystalline membranes are the uncontrollable growth of MOFs and the poor adhesion between MOFs and the substrate. Here, polymers could serve as a simple and precise tool for regulating the growth and surface functionalities of MOFs while enhancing their adhesion to the substrate. For MOF mixed-matrix membranes, the primary challenge is the poor interfacial compatibility between polymers and MOFs. Strategies for the mutual modification of MOFs and polymers to enhance their interfacial compatibility are introduced. For TFN membranes, the challenges include the difficulty in controlling the growth of the polymer selective layer and the performance limitations caused by the “trade-off” effect. MOFs can modulate the formation process of the polymer selective layer and establish transport channels within the polymer matrix to overcome the “trade-off” effect limitations. This review focuses on the mechanisms of synergistic construction of polymer–MOF membranes and their structure–nanofiltration performance relationships, which have not been sufficiently addressed in the past. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highly Permselective Nanofiltration Membrane)
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