Nanomorphogenesis of interlayered polyamide membranes for precise ion sieving in lithium extraction.

Nanofiltration (NF) offers a scalable and energy-efficient method for lithium extraction from salt lakes. However, the selective separation of lithium from magnesium, particularly in brines with high magnesium concentrations, remains a significant challenge due to the close similarity in their hydrated ionic radii. The limited Li/Mgselectivity of current NF membranes is primarily attributed to insufficient control over pore size and surface charge.

Electro-Enhanced Separation of Microsized Oil-in-Water Emulsions via Metallic Membranes: Performance and Mechanistic Insights.

Conventional separation membranes suffer from evitable fouling and flux decrease for water treatment applications. Herein, a novel protocol of electro-enhanced membrane separation is proposed for the efficient treatment of microsized emulsions (∼1 μm) by rationally designing robust electroresponsive copper metallic membranes, which could mitigate oil fouling and coenhance permeance (from ∼1026 to ∼2516 L·m·h·bar) and rejection (from ∼87 to ∼98%). High-flux Cu membranes exhibit superior ductility and electrical conductivity, enabling promising electroactivity.

Recent development of pressure retarded osmosis membranes for water and energy sustainability: A critical review.

With the goal of zero-liquid discharge and green energy harvest, extraction of abundant green energy from saline water via pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) technology is a promising but challenging issue for water treatment technologies to achieve water and energy sustainability. Development of high performance PRO membranes has received increased concerns yet still under controversy in practical applications. In this review, a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of some key historical developments is first introduced covering the major advances of PRO engineering applications and novel membranes especially made in recent years.