Ultrathin ZIF-7/SA Membranes for Fast In Situ Removal of Water from Esterification

The rapid removal of product water can efficiently facilitate esterification. Here, a zeolitic imidazolate framework-7 (ZIF-7) nanosheet, with a 3.0 Å pore structure, is proposed to build a novel membrane to transport water while excluding larger organic molecules. Through a low-concentration solution-coating approach, an ultrathin ZIF-7/SA membrane with the thickness of 1 μm was obtained. FTIR and SEM confirmed the homogeneous dispersion of ZIF-7 and enhanced interfacial compatibility within the SA matrix. The prepared membrane achieved an impressive water flux of 3804 g·m^-2·h^-1 with a separation factor of 1085. When employed in esterification reactions, the membrane facilitated an acid conversion rate of 78.4% within 1 h. The membrane showed good performance after five cycles, demonstrating exceptional stability. This work presents a method for fabricating ultrathin membranes for highly efficient dehydration, showing great potential in esterification intensification.