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    Revitalize integrally skinned hollow fiber membranes with spatially impregnated 3D-macrocycles for organic solvent nanofiltration

    Year: 2021

    Journal: Chem. Eng. J., Volume 422, OCT 15

    Authors: Li, Bofan; Japip, Susilo; Lai, Juin-Yih; Chung, Tai-Shung

    Organizations: National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore [NRF-CRP14-2014-01, R-279-000-466-281]

    Keywords: Organic solvent nanofiltration; Molecular sieving; Macrocycle; 4-sulfocalix[8]arene; Integrally skinned hollow fiber membrane

    Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) requires membranes with excellent chemical stability and molecular sieving properties to separate small molecules in organic solvents. Integrally skinned hollow fiber membranes are geometrically and structurally preferred owing to their larger surface area and smaller footprint per module; however, their relatively low selectivity remains the major drawback. Herein, we report an integrally skinned outer-selective Torlon (R) hollow fiber membrane that has been molecularly engineered with tris(2-aminoethyl) amine (TAEA) and 4-sulfocalix[8]arene (SCA8) to synergistically improve its chemical stability and molecular sieving capability. The tripodal amines of TAEA constructs an extraordinary crosslinked network of Torlon (R) chains with remarkable chemical stability in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Additionally, TAEA ionically binds SCA8 molecules via their sulfonic acid groups that creates homogenously SCA8-impregnated crosslinked membranes possessing not only tunable free volumes but also enhanced sieving capabilities. The SCA8 impregnated membranes can precisely sieve methylene blue (size: 12.1 angstrom x 4.7 angstrom) over N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline (size: 6.9 angstrom x 2.5 angstrom) in a mixed methanol solution with a separation factor of 14.5. This study may open up an innovative and facile strategy to design OSN membranes with sharp molecular sieving capability by impregnating integrally skinned hollow fiber membranes with 3D-macrocycles to separate molecules of different spatial sizes.
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