Fabrication of organic solvent nanofiltration membrane using commercial PVDF substrate via interfacial polymerization on top of metal-organic frameworks interlayer

Construction of membrane reactors coupled with conjugated network hollow microspheres for cascade production of block copolymers

“…In addition, the membrane reactor has inspired a scalable and sustainable approach toward chemical production and processing, offering unbridled potential for increasing reaction efficiency and addressing limitations in product purification. 19–28 Rationally designed membrane reactors may enable the production of new materials that are prohibitively difficult to obtain by other means. Integrating PET-RAFT processes into membrane reactors has provided crucial information concerning necessary reactor design and materials, catalytic capabilities, and accessible molecular weight ranges as well as highlighting the overall ability to improve the results of polymerization relative to their batch reactor counterparts.…”

Using Cu-TCPP Nanosheets as Interlayers for High-Performance Organic Solvent Nanofiltration Membranes

“…With an increase in Cu-TCPP deposition amount from 2 to 4 mL, the Ra of PVDF/ t -Cu-TCPP/PA membrane was found to gradually decrease from 76.5 to 20.5 nm. This was because the interlayer could store the amine aqueous solution, as well as affect the reactivity of amine monomers during the process of interfacial polymerization. , Consequently, a polyamide layer with a smoother surface was prepared, which would be beneficial for improved permeance. Particularly, the introduction of a large amount of t -Cu-TCPP interlayers caused the nodular structure on the membrane surface to be larger, indicating that the t -Cu-TCPP nanosheets might also adjust the nanostructures of the polyamide layer and contribute to numerous granular structures, resulting in higher surface roughness …”

“…Based on the experimental results, a schematic illustration of the separation mechanisms of the t -Cu-TCPP interlayered TFC membranes for OSN applications is proposed in Figure d. Generally, an intact PA layer is difficult to be synthesized on a microfiltration substrate (pore size >100 nm) due to the reduced mechanical stability. , Therefore, to grow polyamide film on a microfiltration substrate, t -Cu-TCPP was introduced as an interlayer to partially block the pores before the interfacial polymerization reaction. Obviously, t -Cu-TCPP nanosheets evenly covered the PVDF substrate due to the layer-by-layer stacking, which then provides a continuous interface for a defect-free polyamide active layer.…”

“…In our previous work, a large number of bulk Cu-TCPP particles were filtered onto the microporous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) (0.45 μm) substrate to block the pores, leading to lower permeance. As shown in Figure , herein, we designed a new type of interlayer-assisted TFC membranes by using exfoliated Cu-TCPP nanosheets (i.e., t- Cu-TCPP) as interlayers and PVDF substrates (0.22 μm) as microfiltration substrates.…”

“…Alternatively, building interlayers deposited on the premade substrate prior to the interfacial polymerization reaction has been proven to be a powerful approach for achieving both high permeance and rejection . So far, several nanomaterials have been utilized as interlayers to assist the fabrication of TFC membranes for OSN, such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), − carbon nanotubes, graphene quantum dots, covalent organic frameworks, and so forth. Moreover, the existence of an interlayer could reduce the surface pore size of a substrate and inhibit the penetration of polyamide inside the substrate pore. − …”