Turing COF Membranes with Tunable Patterns for Antibiotic Desalination

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Tailorable membrane surface architectures are essential for efficient separation processes.
• Nanoemulsion strategies for constructing nanostructured membranes are underexplored for covalent organic framework (COF) fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nanoemulsion-directed interfacial polymerization (NDIP) strategy for precise construction of COF membranes with tunable Turing patterns.
• To investigate the impact of nanoemulsion properties on membrane architecture and separation performance.

Main Methods:

• Nanoemulsion-directed interfacial polymerization (NDIP) for COF membrane fabrication.
• Molecular dynamics simulations and experimental validation to elucidate interfacial interactions.
• Systematic exploration of nanoemulsification parameters (space, microenvironment, emulsifier chain length).

Main Results:

• Turing patterns in COF membranes reduce defects and increase surface area via nanoemulsion templating.
• Demonstrated control over monomer transport and interfacial interactions.
• Achieved excellent antibiotic separation (MWCO 289 g/mol) and high antibiotic/salt selectivity (124.1 for TC/NaCl).

Conclusions:

• The NDIP strategy offers a new approach for patterned regulation in COF membranes.
• Emulsion-guided strategies show significant potential for advanced molecular separations, particularly for antibiotic removal.