Interfacial engineered biomass-derived G/VMT-PCNCs networks as high-performance proton-conducting humidity sensors.

In this study, a novel proton-conducting film was strategically engineered by interfacial manipulation of green and sustainable biomass resources guanine and phosphorylated cellulose nanocrystals (PCNCs) within vermiculite layers. The interfacial engineering approach involved regulation of molecular interactions at the vermiculite-organic interface, whereby PCNCs were incorporated into the interlayers of guanine/vermiculite composites. This interfacial assembly process guided guanine to form tubular structures or ultrathin nanosheets architectures, enabling the fabrication of guanine/vermiculite-PCNCs (G/VMT-PCNCs) composite films with an active-site-rich and tightly interconnected network via a vacuum-assisted process.

Nanofiltration Membrane with Enhanced Ion Selectivity Based on a Precision-Engineered Ultrathin Polyethylene Supporting Layer.

Nanofiltration (NF) technology is increasingly used in the water treatment and separation fields. However, most research has focused on refining the selective layer while overlooking the potential role of the supporting layer. With expertise in ultrathin polymer films, particularly in the production of polyethylene (PE) membranes, we explore the possibility of improving NF membrane performance by precisely controlling the structure and surface properties of the ultrathin supporting layer in this work.

Synthesis of Guanine/Vermiculite Two-Dimensional Nanocomposites for Wireless Humidity Sensing in Nut Storage Environment.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures have the advantages of high specific surface area, easy surface functionalization, abundant active sites, and good compatibility with device integration and can be assembled into three-dimensional structures, which are key to the development of high-performance gas sensors. In this study, 2D vermiculite (VMT) nanosheets and guanine (G), two renewable resources with unique chemical structures, were organically combined to fully use the specificity of their molecular structures and functional activities. Driven by the regulation of 2D VMT nanosheets, guanine/vermiculite (G/VMT)-based 2D nanocomposites with controllable pore structure, multiple binding sites, and unobstructed mass transfer were designed and synthesized.

Ultrastrong and Tough Urushiol-Based Ionic Conductive Double Network Hydrogels as Flexible Strain Sensors.

Ionic conductive hydrogels have attracted increasing research interest in flexible electronics. However, the limited resilience and poor fatigue resistance of current ionic hydrogels significantly restrict their practical application. Herein, an urushiol-based ionic conductive double network hydrogel (PU/PVA-Li) was developed by one-pot thermal initiation polymerization assisted with freeze-thaw cycling and subsequent LiCl soaking.

Recycling the High-Salinity Textile Wastewater by Quercetin-Based Nanofiltration Membranes with Minimal Water and Energy Consumption.

Effective recovery of dyes and salts from textile wastewater by nanofiltration (NF) remains a serious challenge due to the high consumption of water and energy caused by the limited performance of the available membranes. Herein, a novel strategy is described to prepare loose polyester NF membranes by using renewable quercetin as the aqueous monomer for fractionation of high salinity textile wastewater with minimal water and energy consumption. Compared with NF270, taken as the reference membrane, the QE-0.

Photo-tailored heterocrystalline covalent organic framework membranes for organics separation.

Organics separation for purifying and recycling environment-detrimental solvents is essential to sustainable chemical industries. Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes hold great promise in affording precise and fast organics separation. Nonetheless, how to well coordinate facile processing-high crystalline structure-high separation performance remains a critical issue and a grand challenge.

Charged Nanochannels in Covalent Organic Framework Membranes Enabling Efficient Ion Exclusion.

Controllable ion transport through nanochannels is crucial for biological and artificial membrane systems. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with regular and tunable nanochannels are emerging as an ideal material platform to develop synthetic membranes for ion transport. However, ion exclusion by COF membranes remains challenging because most COF materials have large-sized nanochannels leading to nonselective transport of small ions.

Ultrathin Membranes for Separations: A New Era Driven by Advanced Nanotechnology.

Ultrathin membranes are at the forefront of membrane research, offering great opportunities in revolutionizing separations with ultrafast transport. Driven by advanced nanomaterials and manufacturing technology, tremendous progresses are made over the last 15 years in the fabrications and applications of sub-50 nm membranes. Here, an overview of state-of-the-art ultrathin membranes is first introduced, followed by a summary of the fabrication techniques with an emphasis on how to realize such extremely low thickness.

Assembling covalent organic framework membranes with superior ion exchange capacity.

Ionic covalent organic framework membranes (iCOFMs) hold great promise in ion conduction-relevant applications because the high content and monodispersed ionic groups could afford superior ion conduction. The key to push the upper limit of ion conductivity is to maximize the ion exchange capacity (IEC). Here, we explore iCOFMs with a superhigh ion exchange capacity of 4.

Scalable Fabrication of Crystalline COF Membranes from Amorphous Polymeric Membranes.

Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes hold potential for widespread applicability, but scalable fabrication is challenging. Here, we demonstrate the disorder-to-order transformation from amorphous polymeric membrane to crystalline COF membrane via monomer exchange. Solution processing is used to prepare amorphous membrane and the replacing monomer is selected based on the chemical and thermodynamical stability of the final framework.

Electrostatic-modulated interfacial polymerization toward ultra-permselective nanofiltration membranes.

Interfacial polymerization (IP) is a platform technology for ultrathin membranes. However, most efforts in regulating the IP process have been focused on short-range H-bond interaction, often leading to low-permselective membranes. Herein, we report an electrostatic-modulated interfacial polymerization (eIP) supercharged phosphate-rich substrates toward ultra-permselective polyamide membranes.

Weakly Humidity-Dependent Proton-Conducting COF Membranes.

State-of-the-art proton exchange membranes (PEMs) often suffer from significantly reduced conductivity under low relative humidity, hampering their efficient application in fuel cells. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with pre-designable and well-defined structures hold promise to cope with the above challenge. However, fabricating defect-free, robust COF membranes proves an extremely difficult task due to the poor processability of COF materials.

Covalent Organic Framework Nanosheets as Reactive Fillers To Fabricate Free-Standing Polyamide Membranes for Efficient Desalination.

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) have been increasingly utilized in membrane processes. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) hold great promise as emergent nanofillers to fabricate high-performance MMMs; however, only few studies about COF materials in MMMs have been reported where COFs are all used as nonreactive fillers. Herein, we propose using -NH-functionalized COF nanosheets as reactive fillers (rCON) to fabricate MMMs.

Author Correction: Metal-coordinated sub-10 nm membranes for water purification.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Author Correction: Metal-coordinated sub-10 nm membranes for water purification.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Metal-coordinated sub-10 nm membranes for water purification.

Ultrathin membranes with potentially high permeability are urgently demanded in water purification. However, their facile, controllable fabrication remains a grand challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a metal-coordinated approach towards defect-free and robust membranes with sub-10 nm thickness.

Zwitterionic materials for antifouling membrane surface construction.

Unlabelled: Membrane separation processes are often perplexed by severe and ubiquitous membrane fouling. Zwitterionic materials, keeping electric neutrality with equivalent positive and negative charged groups, are well known for their superior antifouling properties and have been broadly utilized to construct antifouling surfaces for medical devices, biosensors and marine coatings applications. In recent years, zwitterionic materials have been more and more frequently utilized for constructing antifouling membrane surfaces.