CBET-EPSRC A Game-Changing Approach for Tunable Membrane Development: Novel COF Active Layers Supported by Solvent Resistant Materials

由于人口增长、城市化、经济发展和气候变化，世界许多地区周期性的水资源短缺正在加剧。由于需要从受到多种污染物污染的日益复杂的水源中提供安全的饮用水供应，这推动了新型膜技术的发展。压力驱动纳滤(NF)和反渗透(RO)膜工艺由于能够在单一处理步骤中去除所有病原体和大多数有机和无机污染物，因此越来越多地被用于饮用水处理。然而，这些技术的更广泛应用一直受到限制，因为最先进的纳滤膜和反渗透膜对(生物)污染、压实和化学氧化的抵抗力不足，加上相对较窄的溶质选择性范围。该项目将通过使用开创性的界面聚合(IP)方法来制备与兼容支撑介质界面的二维共价有机骨架(COF)的有源层，从而克服目前的纳滤膜和反渗透膜所面临的挑战。二维COF是结晶的、永久多孔的、层状的大分子，其结构、化学组成和孔隙率通过合理的单体设计来确定。COFS将提供包括统一孔的分离层，具有定制的大小、形状和可变的化学功能，与最先进的纳滤/反渗透膜中存在的无定形和经验优化的聚酰胺活性层形成对比。该项目为新型膜提供了基础知识，通过设计、合成和表征基于COF的新的膜活性层库，以负担得起的成本解决许多全球水挑战，该库将直接形成在新的支撑层上，并为满足特定的性能目标而量身定做。新型的基于COF的膜有可能显著降低膜基水处理系统的运行成本，并增加这些技术的更广泛实施。

Periodic water shortages in many regions throughout the world are increasing because of population growth, urbanization, economic development, and climate change. The need to provide a safe drinking water supply from increasingly complex sources polluted by multiple contaminants has motivated the development of novel membrane technologies. Pressure-driven nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane processes are increasingly used for drinking water treatment because they are capable of removing all pathogens and most organic and inorganic contaminants in a single treatment step. However, more widespread adoption of these technologies has been limited because of inadequate resistance of state-of-the-art NF and RO membranes to (bio)fouling, compaction, and chemical oxidation coupled with a relatively narrow range of solute selectivity. This project will overcome the current NF and RO membrane challenges by using pioneering interfacial polymerization (IP) methods to fabricate active layers of two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) interfaced with compatible support media. 2D COFs are crystalline, permanently porous, and layered macromolecules with structure, chemical composition, and porosity set through the rational design of their monomers. COFs will provide separating layers comprising uniform pores with tailored size, shape, and variable chemical functionality in contrast to the amorphous and empirically optimized polyamide active layers present in the state-of-the-art NF/RO membranes. The project contributes fundamental knowledge towards a new class of membranes to affordably solve many of the global water challenges through the design, synthesis, and characterization of a new library of COF-based membrane active layers that will be formed directly on novel support layers and tailored to meet specific performance targets. The novel COF-based membranes have the potential of significantly decreasing the operating costs of membrane based water treatment systems and increasing broader implementation of these technologies.