Ice-confined synthesis of highly ionized 3D-quasilayered polyamide nanofiltration membranes.

Zhang, Yanqiu; Wang, Hao; Guo, Jing; Cheng, Xiquan; Han, Gang; Lau, Cher Hon; Lin, Haiqing; Liu, Shaomin et al. · Science · 2023

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Existing polyamide (PA) membrane synthesis protocols are underpinned by controlling diffusion-dominant liquid-phase reactions that yield subpar spatial architectures and ionization behavior. We report an ice-confined interfacial polymerization strategy to enable the effective kinetic control of the interfacial reaction and thermodynamic manipulation of the hexagonal polytype (<i>I</i><sub>h</sub>) ice phase containing monomers to rationally synthesize a three-dimensional quasilayered PA membrane for nanofiltration. Experiments and molecular simulations confirmed the underlying membrane formation mechanism. Our ice-confined PA nanofiltration membrane features high-density ionized structure and exceptional transport channels, realizing superior water permeance and excellent ion selectivity.