Polyfunctional Arylamine Based Nanofiltration Membranes with Enhanced Aggressive Organic Solvents Resistance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) is crucial for chemical separations but requires membranes with high performance and stability in aggressive organic solvents.
• Existing OSN membranes often degrade in harsh solvents, limiting their application.
• Developing robust membranes is essential for efficient and sustainable chemical processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare a highly cross-linked polyamide membrane with enhanced stability and separation performance for OSN applications.
• To investigate the role of tetra-(4-aminophenyl) ethylene (TAPE) in membrane formation and performance.
• To explore the potential of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) for visual monitoring of membrane fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Interfacial polymerization using a polyfunctional arylamine, tetra-(4-aminophenyl) ethylene (TAPE), to create a polyamide membrane.
• Characterization of membrane properties, including molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and stability in organic solvents like N,N-dimethylformamide.
• Utilizing the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of TAPE for fluorescence imaging during membrane fabrication.

Main Results:

• A highly cross-linked polyamide membrane with a low molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 312 Da was successfully prepared.
• The TAPE-based membrane exhibited excellent stability, maintaining performance after 90 days in N,N-dimethylformamide.
• The propeller-like conformation of TAPE facilitated fast solvent transport and prevented matrix expansion in aggressive solvents.
• Fluorescence imaging based on TAPE's AIE effect provided visual guidance for membrane fabrication.

Conclusions:

• Polyfunctional monomers like TAPE can be effectively used in interfacial polymerization to create high-performance OSN membranes.
• The developed membrane offers superior stability and separation capabilities for challenging chemical separations.
• AIE-based fluorescence imaging presents a novel approach for visually guided membrane fabrication, improving process control.