Ice-confined synthesis of highly ionized 3D-quasilayered polyamide nanofiltration membranes
Yanqiu Zhang, Hao Wang, Jing Guo, Xiquan Cheng, Gang Han, Cher Hon Lau, Haiqing Lin, Shaomin Liu, Jun Ma, Lu Shao
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 h ) 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.