High-Flux lamellar MoSe membranes for efficient dye/salt separation.

Membrane-based technology is emerging as an efficient technique for wastewater treatment in recent years. Membranes made up of two-dimensional materials provide high selectivity and water flux compared to conventional polymeric membranes. Herein, we report the synthesis and use of MoSe membrane for dye and drug separation in wastewater, mainly from textile and pharmaceutical industries. The as-prepared MoSe membrane shows ∼ 100% rejection for organic dyes and ciprofloxacin drug with a water flux reaching up to ∼ 900 Lmhbar. Further, the MoSe membrane shows lower NaCl rejection of ∼ 1.9% for the dye/salt mixture. The interlayer spacing in the MoSe membrane allows the water molecules and ions from the salt to pass through freely but restricts the movement of large contaminants. The membrane is stable against the bovine albumin serum fouling with a flux recovery rate of 96%. It also shows good performance even in harsh environments (pH 3-10). To the best of our knowledge, the MoSe membranes were fabricated for the first time for wastewater treatment application. The dye/salt separation performance of the MoSe membrane is significantly better than several other membranes. This work highlights the promising potential for using two-dimensional materials for textile and pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.