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- Title
Polycage membranes for precise molecular separation and catalysis.
- Authors
Li, Xiang; Lin, Weibin; Sharma, Vivekanand; Gorecki, Radoslaw; Ghosh, Munmun; Moosa, Basem A.; Aristizabal, Sandra; Hong, Shanshan; Khashab, Niveen M.; Nunes, Suzana P.
- Abstract
The evolution of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry requires effective and less energy-intensive separation technologies. Engineering smart materials at a large scale with tunable properties for molecular separation is a challenging step to materialize this goal. Herein, we report thin film composite membranes prepared by the interfacial polymerization of porous organic cages (POCs) (RCC3 and tren cages). Ultrathin crosslinked polycage selective layers (thickness as low as 9.5 nm) are obtained with high permeance and strict molecular sieving for nanofiltration. A dual function is achieved by combining molecular separation and catalysis. This is demonstrated by impregnating the cages with highly catalytically active Pd nanoclusters (~ 0.7 nm). While the membrane promotes a precise molecular separation, its catalytic activity enables surface self-cleaning, by reacting with any potentially adsorbed dye and recovering the original performance. This strategy opens opportunities for the development of other smart membranes combining different functions and well-tailored abilities. The evolution of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry requires effective and less energy intensive separation technologies but engineering materials at a large scale with tunable properties for molecular separation is challenging. Here, the authors report a thin film composite membranes prepared by the interfacial polymerization of porous organic cages.
- Subjects
COMPOSITE membranes (Chemistry); SEPARATION (Technology); CATALYSIS; CATALYTIC activity; MOLECULAR sieves; THIN films
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2023, Vol 14, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-023-38728-7