Polydopamine-assisted minute fabrication of vertically aligned ZIF-L membranes for CO2/N2 separations

Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes demonstrate significant potential for industrial gas separations, yet fabricating vertically aligned two-dimensional (2D) MOF membranes on polymer substrates remains a considerable challenge due to the weak adhesion and difficulty in achieving precise alignment. This study presents a one-step method for the rapid synthesis of vertically aligned ZIF-L membranes, using a polydopamine (PDA)-assisted approach. This method enables the rapid formation of homogenous, thin but defect-free membranes on polymer substrates within 5 min, drastically reducing the preparation time by over 200 times. The vertically aligned ZIF-L membranes, characterized by the interlayer galleries facing the gas mixtures, exhibit an excellent CO 2 permeance exceeding 1200 GPU and a CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 14.5. The versatility of this approach allows for its application on various flat-sheet or even hollow fiber supports. Our findings highlight the potential of PDA-assisted synthesis for efficient, scalable preparation of high-performance MOF membranes for industrial gas separations.