• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2024

The flow in a nanopore of filtration membrane is often multiscale and consists of both the adsorbed layer flow and the intermediate continuum fluid flow. There is a controversy on which interface the slippage should occur in the nanopore filtration: On the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface or on the adsorbed layer-continuum fluid interface? What is the difference between these two slippage effects? We address these subjects in the present study by using the multiscale flow equations incorporating the slippage on different interfaces. Based on the limiting shear strength model for the slippage, it was found from the calculation results that for the hydrophobic pore wall the slippage surely occurs on the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface, however for the hydrophilic pore wall, the slippage can occur on either of the two interfaces, dependent on the competition between the interfacial shear strength on the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface and that on the adsorbed layer-continuum fluid interface. Since the slippage on the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface can be designed while that on the adsorbed layer-continuum fluid interface can not, the former slippage can result in the flux through the nanopore much higher than the latter slippage by designing a highly hydrophobic pore wall surface. The obtained results are of significant interest to the design and application of the interfacial slippage in nanoporous filtration membranes for both improving the flux and conserving the energy cost.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-42
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• 2017

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are nanoporous materials that consist of organic and inorganic moieties, with well-defined crystalline lattices and pore structures. With a judicious choice of organic linkers present in the MOFs with different sizes and chemical groups, MOFs exhibit a wide variety of pore sizes and chemical/physical properties. This makes MOFs extremely attractive as novel membrane materials for gas separation applications. However, the synthesis of high-quality MOF thin films and membranes is quite challenging due to difficulties in controlling the heterogeneous nucleation/growth and achieving strong attachment of films on porous supports. Microwave-based synthesis technology has made tremendous progress in the last two decades and has been utilized to overcome some of these challenges associated with MOF membrane fabrication. The advantages of microwaves as opposed to conventional synthesis techniques for MOFs include shorter synthesis times, ability to achieve unique and complex structures and crystal size reductions. Here, we review the recent progress on the synthesis of MOF thin films and membranes with an emphasis on how microwaves have been utilized in the synthesis, improved properties achieved and gas separation performance of these films and membranes.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.149-157
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• 2023

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have shown promise in various applications, including molecular separation, dye separation, gas separation, filtration, and desalination. Integrating COFs into membranes enhances permeability, selectivity, and stability, improving separation processes. Combining COFs with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) creates nanocomposite membranes with high permeability and stability, ideal for dye separation. Incorporating COFs into polyamide (PA) membranes improves permeability and selectivity through a synthetic interfacial strategy. Three-dimensional COF fillers in mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) enhance CO₂/CH₄ separation, making them suitable for biogas upgrading. All-nanoporous composite (ANC) membranes, which combine COFs and metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes, overcome permeance-selectivity trade-offs, significantly improving gas permeance. Computational simulations using hypothetical COFs (hypoCOFs) demonstrate superior CO₂ selectivity and working capacity relevant for CO₂ separation and H₂ purification. COFs integrated into thin-film composite (TFC) and polysulfonamide (PSA) membranes enhance rejection performance for organic contaminants, salt contaminants, and heavy metal ions, improving separation capabilities. TpPa-SO₃H/PAN covalent organic framework membranes (COFMs) exhibited superior desalination performance compared to traditional polyamide membranes by utilizing charged groups to enable efficient desalination through electrostatic repulsion, suggesting their potential for ionic and molecular separations. These findings highlight COFs' potential in membrane technology for enhanced separation processes by improving permeability, selectivity, and stability. In this review, COF applied for the separation process is discussed.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.943-962
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• 2014

Industrial gas drying, dilute gas mixtures purification, air fractionation, hydrogen production from steam reformers and petroleum refinery off-gases, etc are conducted by using adsorptive separation technology. The pressure swing adsorption (PSA) has certain advantages over the other methods, such as absorption and membrane, that are a low energy requirement and cost-effectiveness. A key component of PSA systems is adsorbents that should be highly selective to a gas being separated from its mixture streams and have isotherms suitable for the operation principle. The six standard types of isotherms have been examined in this review, and among them the best behavior in the adsorption of $CO_2$ as a function of pressure was proposed in aspects of maximizing a working capacity upon excursion between adsorption and desorption cycles. Zeolites and molecular sieves are historically typical adsorbents for such PSA applications in gas and related industries, and their physicochemical features, e.g., framework, channel structure, pore size, Si-to-Al ratio (SAR), and specific surface area, are strongly associated with the extent of $CO_2$ adsorption at given conditions and those points have been extensively described with literature data. A great body of data of $CO_2$ adsorption on the nanoporous zeolitic materials have been collected according to pressure ranges adsorbed, and these isotherms have been discussed to get an insight into a better $CO_2$ adsorbent for PSA processes.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.214-218
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• 2014

In this study, nanoporous $Cu_3(BTC)_2$ membranes were synthesized on macroporous alumina tube supports by solvothermal method. It is very difficult to prepare uniform and crack-free $Cu_3(BTC)_2$ layer on macroporous alumina support by in situ solvothermal method. In this study, continuous and crack-free $Cu_3(BTC)_2$ tubular membranes could be obtained by in situ solvothermal process after surface modification of alumina support. The surface modification was conducted by spraying Cu precursor solution on the alumina support heated at $200^{\circ}C$. The prepared $Cu_3(BTC)_2$ tubular membranes were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM and gas permeation experiments. $H_2$ permeance through $5{\mu}m$ thick $Cu_3(BTC)_2$ tubular membrane was calculated to be $7.8{\times}10^{-7}mol/s{\cdot}m^2{\cdot}Pa$ by single gas permeation test, with the ideal selectivities of $H_2/N_2=11.94$, and $H_2/CO_2=12.82$.