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，世界许多地区的周期性缺水现象正在加剧。从被多种污染物污染的日益复杂的水源中提供安全饮用水供应的需求促使了新型膜技术的发展。压力驱动的纳滤（NF）和反渗透（RO）膜工艺越来越多地用于饮用水处理，因为它们能够在单个处理步骤中去除所有病原体和大多数有机和无机污染物。然而，这些技术的更广泛采用受到限制，因为现有技术的NF和RO膜对（生物）结垢、压实和化学氧化的抵抗力不足，并且溶质选择性的范围相对较窄。该项目将克服目前的NF和RO膜的挑战，通过使用开创性的界面聚合（IP）方法来制造与兼容的支持介质界面的二维共价有机框架（COF）的活性层。二维COF是结晶的、永久多孔的和层状的大分子，其结构、化学组成和孔隙率通过其单体的合理设计来设定。与现有技术NF/RO膜中存在的无定形和经验优化的聚酰胺活性层相比，COF将提供包含具有定制尺寸、形状和可变化学官能度的均匀孔的分离层。该项目为一类新的膜提供了基础知识，通过设计，合成和表征新的基于COF的膜活性层库来解决许多全球水挑战，这些膜活性层将直接在新型支撑层上形成并定制以满足特定的性能目标。新型COF基膜有可能显着降低膜基水处理系统的运营成本，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.