Covalent organic framework functionalized smart membranes with under-liquid dual superlyophobicity for efficient separation of oil/water emulsions

The smart membrane with under-liquid dual superlyophobicity, which can achieve on-demand separation of oil/water emulsions only by simple liquid pre-wetting, is of essential value for the treatment of complicated real oil/water systems. Here, we first fabricated a stable suspension of imine-linked covalent organic framework nanospheres (TPB-DMTP-COF), and subsequently fabricated COF functionalized smart membranes with under-liquid dual superlyophobicity by immersing polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) membranes into TPB-DMTP-COF nanosphere suspension. Accordingly, effective switchable separation of both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions by TPB-DMTP-COF/PAN membranes can be achieved by employing pre-wetting processes (both the oil contact angle under water and the water contact angle under oil are over 150°). Specifically, the separation flux and the separation efficiency are higher than 1200 L/m2‧h and 98.0 %, and 2100 L/m2‧h and 97.4 % for the surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions, respectively. Furthermore, the ultralow adhesions in liquid contributed to the outstanding reusability and antifouling resistance of the prepared TPB-DMTP-COF/PAN membranes. This work provides a feasible approach for fabricating a smart membrane with under-liquid dual superlyophobicity for oily wastewater treatment.

The Effect of Conductive Heat Transfer on the Morphology Formation in Polymer Solutions Undergoing Thermally Induced Phase Separation

Owing to the fact that heat transfer during the thermally induced phase separation process is limited, a quench rate is inevitably entailed, which leads to the existence of temporal and spatial variations in temperature. Hence, it is of great importance to take into account the nonisothermality during the phase separation process, especially in high viscosity polymer solutions. In this study, the influence of conductive heat transfer on the morphology formation during the thermally induced phase separation process was investigated theoretically in terms of quench depth, boundary conditions, and enthalpy of demixing to elucidate the interaction between temperature and concentration through incorporating the nonlinear Cahn-Hilliard equation and the Fourier heat transfer equation in two dimensions. The Flory-Huggins free energy theory for the thermodynamics of phase separation, slow mode theory, and Rouse law for polymer diffusion without entanglements were taken into account in the model development. The simulation results indicated a strong interaction between heat transfer and phase separation, which impacted the morphology formation significantly. Results confirmed that quench depth had an indispensable impact on phase separation in terms of higher characteristic frequency by increasing the driving force for heat transfer. Applying quench from various boundaries led to a difference in the quench rate due to the high viscosity of the polymer solution. This led to a gradation in pore size and anisotropic morphology formation. The degree and direction of anisotropy depended on quench depth and rate, quench time, heat conduction rate inside the solution, solution viscosity, temperature evolution, and the enthalpy of demixing. It was also verified that the influence of enthalpy of demixing on phase separation could not be neglected as it increased the solution temperature and led to phase separation being accomplished at a higher temperature than the initial quench temperature.

Fabrication of a loose nanofiltration candidate from Polyacrylonitrile/Graphene oxide hybrid membrane via thermally induced phase separation

It is still a challenge to design and fabricate a robust nanoporous membrane in large scale and of fundamental importance for practical application. Here, a robust three/two-dimensional polyacrylonitrile/graphene oxide (PAN/GO) homogeneous nanoporous membrane is fabricated in large scale via thermally induced phase separation method, which guarantees the membrane with high mechanical strength and selective separation properties. Differing from conventional nanofiltration (NF) membrane with high rejection to both salt and dye, the resulting hybrid membrane is relative loose, which shows outstanding performances, i.e. high dye rejection and low salt rejection, high permeability and antifouling properties, acting as a promising candidate for dye/salt fractionation. The incorporation of 0.2 wt% GO endows membrane with excellent performance, where high tensile strength, high water permeability (33 L⋅ m^-2⋅ h^-1⋅ bar^-1), selectivity (100% to methyl blue, 99.8% to acid red 18, 26.7% to magnesium sulfate and 10.9% to sodium chloride and flux recovery ratio of 84.4%) are perfectly balanced. Its homogeneous structure and high strength guarantee long term use without the peeling of thin active layer as encountered by conventional NF membranes. The successful fabrication of such a hybrid membrane provides an attractive opportunity for loose NF membrane preparation with performance enhancement in a feasible way for practical application.