SCI和EI收录∣中国化工学会会刊

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2020, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (4): 1039-1045.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2019.11.007

• Separation Science and Engineering • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Reducing active layer thickness of polyamide composite membranes using a covalent organic framework interlayer in interfacial polymerization

Meidi Wang1,2, Weixiong Guo1,2, Zhongyi Jiang2, Fusheng Pan1,2   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology, Beijing 102206, China;
    2 Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
  • Received:2019-09-27 Revised:2019-11-15 Online:2020-07-27 Published:2020-04-28
  • Contact: Fusheng Pan
  • Supported by:
    This research was supported by the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control (Grant No. PPC2017014), CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology.

Reducing active layer thickness of polyamide composite membranes using a covalent organic framework interlayer in interfacial polymerization

Meidi Wang1,2, Weixiong Guo1,2, Zhongyi Jiang2, Fusheng Pan1,2   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology, Beijing 102206, China;
    2 Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
  • 通讯作者: Fusheng Pan
  • 基金资助:
    This research was supported by the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control (Grant No. PPC2017014), CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology.

Abstract: Polyamide (PA)-based thin-film composite membranes exhibit enormous potential in water purification, owing to their facile fabrication, decent performance and desirable stability. However, the thick PA active layer with high transport resistance from the conventional interfacial polymerization hampers their applications. The controllable fabrication of a thin PA active layer is essential for high separation efficiency but still challenging. Herein, a covalent organic framework TpPa-1 interlayer was firstly deposited on a polyethersulfone (PES) substrate to reduce the thickness of PA active layer in interfacial polymerization. The abundant pores of TpPa-1 increase the local concentration of amine monomers by adsorbing piperazine molecules, while hydrogen bonds between hydrophilic groups of TpPa-1 and piperazine molecules slow down their diffusion rate. Arising from those synergetic effects, the PA active layer is effectively reduced from 200 nm to 120 nm. By optimizing TpPa-1 interlayer and PA active layer, the water flux of resultant membranes can reach 171.35 L·m-2·h-1·MPa-1, which increased by 125.4% compared with PA/PES membranes, while the rejection rates of sodium sulfate and dyes solution remained more than 90% and 99%, respectively. Our strategy may stimulate rational design of ultrathin PA-based nanofiltration membranes with high performances.

Key words: Thin film composite membranes, Interfacial polymerization, Covalent organic frameworks interlayer, Nanofiltration

摘要: Polyamide (PA)-based thin-film composite membranes exhibit enormous potential in water purification, owing to their facile fabrication, decent performance and desirable stability. However, the thick PA active layer with high transport resistance from the conventional interfacial polymerization hampers their applications. The controllable fabrication of a thin PA active layer is essential for high separation efficiency but still challenging. Herein, a covalent organic framework TpPa-1 interlayer was firstly deposited on a polyethersulfone (PES) substrate to reduce the thickness of PA active layer in interfacial polymerization. The abundant pores of TpPa-1 increase the local concentration of amine monomers by adsorbing piperazine molecules, while hydrogen bonds between hydrophilic groups of TpPa-1 and piperazine molecules slow down their diffusion rate. Arising from those synergetic effects, the PA active layer is effectively reduced from 200 nm to 120 nm. By optimizing TpPa-1 interlayer and PA active layer, the water flux of resultant membranes can reach 171.35 L·m-2·h-1·MPa-1, which increased by 125.4% compared with PA/PES membranes, while the rejection rates of sodium sulfate and dyes solution remained more than 90% and 99%, respectively. Our strategy may stimulate rational design of ultrathin PA-based nanofiltration membranes with high performances.

关键词: Thin film composite membranes, Interfacial polymerization, Covalent organic frameworks interlayer, Nanofiltration