Precisely Patterned Nanostrand Surface of Cucurbituril[<i>n</i>]-Based Nanofiltration Membranes for Effective Alcohol–Water Condensation
Ming‐Jian Tang, Mei‐Ling Liu, Daan Wang, Dandan Shao, Hua-Jiang Wang, Zhaoliang Cui, Xue‐Li Cao, Shi‐Peng Sun
Abstract
Low concentration alcohols produced by state-of-the-art biological fermentation restrict subsequent purification processes for chemical, pharmaceutical, biofuel, and other applications. Herein, a rarely reported cucurbituril[n] (n = 6, 8) is employed to pattern the thin-film composite membranes with controllable and quantifiable nanostrand structures through a host–guest strategy. The resulting nanofiltration membrane with such morphology is the first report that exhibits excellent separation performance for isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water, condensing the initial 0.5 wt % IPA aqueous solution to 9.0 wt %. This not only provides a novel strategy for patterning nanostructural morphology but also makes nanofiltration membranes promising for alcohol condensation in the biological fermentation industry that may reduce energy consumption and postprocessing costs.