Microphase Diffusion-Controlled Interfacial Polymerization for an Ultrahigh Permeability Nanofiltration Membrane

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Abstract
The key to improve nanofiltration membrane permeance is reducing its thickness, while maintaining high rejection. Herein, a 25 nm thick ultrathin polyamide layer was prepared by a micro-phase diffusion-controlled interfacial polymerization (MDC-IP) of poly(ethyleneimine) and trimesoyl chloride, which is much thinner than the conventional interfacial polymerization (CIP) polyamide layer. A new formation mechanism for such an ultrathin layer is presented, which included a micro-phase interfacial reaction and eliminated loose layers due to the confinement of micro-phase diffusion and the termination of stepwise diffusion. Moreover, the polyamide layer was post-crosslinked to form a stable dual-crosslinked interwoven structure. Such a membrane showed an ultrahigh permeance of 1246 kg/(m2 h MPa), which was 23 times that of CIP membranes. MDC-IP could efficiently control the micro-interface between two immiscible phases, which provided a facile way to regulate the membrane at nano-scale.
Funding Information
  • Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality (8122010)

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