Construction of skyloft-like polyamide membrane on tubular ceramic support for high-flux nanofiltration

• Published in: Separation and purification technology 2024-09, Vol.343, p.127075, Article 127075
• Main Authors: Wang, Haoran, Lai, Chenyu, Wang, Yujie, Qu, Zhou, Fan, Hongwei, Meng, Hong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dyes desalination; Nanofiltration; Polyamide membrane; Tubular ceramic support; Water/wastewater treatment
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2024.127075

[Display omitted] •A defect-free and thin PA membrane was constructed on tubular ceramic support.•The prepared membrane features a unique skyloft-like structure.•The resultant membrane shows a high water permeance up to 736.6 L m-2h−1 MPa−1.•The prepared membrane demonstrates high dyes/antibiotics desalination selectivity (up to 197).•A long-term cross-flow nanofiltration and a high-pressure test indicate the outstanding stability. Polyamide (PA) thin-film composite membrane has been widely used in water/wastewater treatment, but construction of such membrane on a three-dimensional inorganic macroporous support remains a challenge, thus limiting the further application under harsh conditions. Herein, we propose a skyloft-like PA membrane on a commercial tubular ceramic macrofiltration support. This membrane built on stilts comprises an ultrathin PA canopy of ∼ 33 nm and pillars (∼1 μm-thick) of vertically aligned CoAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets and covalent organic framework (COF) nanospheres. The prepared PA/OH-COF/F-COF/LDH membrane shows a high water permeance of up to 736.6 L m-2h−1 MPa−1 together with a satisfactory rejection rate of > 90 % for various small molecules including dyes and antibiotics (> ∼1 nm). The resultant membrane also demonstrates a good dye desalination performance (with a selectivity of up to 197), illustrating an outstanding permselectivty. A long-term and continuous cross-flow nanofiltration indicates a robust stability of the membrane.