Project Details
Description
The increasing global demand for safe water and treatment method environmental concerns have led to the development of novel membrane technologies, specifically nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO), because they offer an effective single step rejection of all pathogens and most organic and inorganic contaminants. Despite technical advances, high operational costs and fouling challenges have limited their widespread acceptance. Fouling and water permeability are highly influenced by the physiochemical properties and surface morphology of the polyamide active layer used in state-of-the-art NF and RO membranes. We will create a new class of tunable membranes that combine novel active layers (USA) adhered to robust solvent compatible support media (UK), which will provide high water permeability, selective contaminant rejection, fouling resistance, and chemical robustness.
The US teams will develop active layers based on emerging two-dimensional (2D) polymers known as covalent organic frameworks (COFs). 2D COFs are crystalline, permanently porous materials whose structure, chemical composition, and porosity are 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 RO membranes present in state-of-the-art polyamide active layers. COFs have not been considered deeply for this application because they are typically prepared as insoluble, microcrystalline powders that are not amenable to forming uniform, large-area membranes. The Dichtel group recently achieved a major breakthrough in preparing the first 2D COF films through interfacial polymerization (IP). This method provides large-area membranes (cm2 and above) with precise thickness control (down to 2 nm thus far). The US teams have since collaborated to study the filtration performance of the first COF membranes, which showed mechanical
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 7/1/17 → 6/30/21 |
Funding
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (087147-16468-01 // CBET-1706219)
- National Science Foundation (087147-16468-01 // CBET-1706219)
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