Two dimensional nanomaterial‐based separation membranes

Abstract

Two dimensional nanomaterials including graphene, hexagonal boron‐nitride, molybdenum disulfide, etc., provide immense potentials for separation applications. However, the tradeoff between selectivity and permeability in choosing 2D nanomaterial‐based membrane is inevitable, limiting the progress on separation efficiency for mass industrial applications. To target these issues, versatile strategies such as the rational design of predefined interlayer channels, membrane nanopores, and reasonable functionalization, as well as new mechanisms have been emerged. In this review, we introduce the recent progress on separation mechanisms of 2D nanomaterial‐based membranes with different structures (including the interlayer channels type and the membrane nanopores type) and their inner surface functionalization. Moreover, the interface designs are discussed, in terms of employing dynamic liquid–liquid/liquid–gas interfaces, to advance the selectivity and permeability of the membranes. We further discuss the variety of separation applications based on 2D nanomaterial‐based membranes. The authors hope this review will inspire the active interest of many scientists in the area of the development and application of membrane science.

Fabrication of Bio‐Inspired 2D MOFs/PAA Hybrid Membrane for Asymmetric Ion Transport

“…In virtue of the adjustable structure and function, large specific surface area, and highly ordered pores, MOFs have emerged as a splendid platform for fundamental and practical applications research . To date, in addition to graphene, graphene oxide, transition metal dichalcogenides, and boron nitride, 2D MOFs are also expected as promising candidate in the fabrication of new nanofluidic devices . Recent studies show that MOFs‐based hybrid membrane can provide more effective control over ionic transport compared with traditional pure MOFs membranes because they can offer abundant channels for ions transport as well as increased accessible active sites for varied applications .…”

Grand Challenges in Emerging Separation Technologies

“…The tremendous interests drive people to search for the low-energy-consumption separation technologies which are independent on phase changes of fluids (Sholl and Lively, 2016;Lively and Sholl, 2017). For example, advanced separation membranes technology enables such a green process that can greatly reduce the energy consumption and the carbon and space intensity of conventional distillation processes for separation and purification of compounds (Jimenez-Solomon et al, 2016;Liu et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2018Wang et al, , 2019Zhang et al, 2019). Significantly, the energy consumption of per liter in the emerging membrane separation process is about 1/25 times as much as in the conventional distillation process (Rundquist et al, 2012;Yang et al, 2020).…”

Ion Exchange Membrane “ABC” – A Key Material for Upgrading Process Industries

“…Besides, the transport of ions through an IEM is not only dependent on charge but also related to pore size. Therefore, some detailed ion transport mechanisms under special conditions, such as water splitting in the “B” membranes, the ion transport within confined spaces, [ 71 ] ion transport behavior in high‐concentration electrolytes, need to be clarified. Nevertheless, the intrinsic advantages of IEMs deserve the interdisciplinary cooperation between the academia and industry to solve the fundamental and practical problems from membrane structure designs, synthetic routes fabrications to apparatus design and operating conditions optimization, thus making a new kind of industrial revolution.…”