SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
·
2025
·
IF 9
Xinjian Hu,Fei Chai,Guanghui Li,Lili Yan,Pinhua Rao,Wenqi Zhang,Jihyeon Kim,Sangsook Park,Runkai Wang
The treatment of oil-containing wastewater poses significant environmental challenges due to its complex composition and high emulsification. Membrane technology offers an energy-efficient alternative for oil–water separation. This study explores the surface physicochemical properties, self-cleaning capabilities, and high-temperature oil–water separation applications of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic membranes modified with a tannic acid/polyethyleneimine (TA/PEI) complexes. The TA/PEI@SiC membrane, prepared via a complex solution, exhibits increased water contact angle but still maintains hydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity. The TA/PEI@SiC membrane demonstrated exceptional high-temperature stability, maintaining separation efficiency above 97.73 % across a range of temperatures (60–90 °C). In cyclic tests, the membrane maintained emulsion separation efficiencies of 99.53–99.95 % at 60 °C, 98.59–99.53 % at 70 °C, 98.75–99.68 % at 80 °C, and 97.53–99.39 % at 90 °C. Research has shown that oil droplets can spontaneously detach from the membrane surface underwater, demonstrating effective self-cleaning properties.
研究领域:
环境科学
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
·
2026
·
IF 12.5
Yuan Gao,Jiaqi Sun,Pei-Lin Gao,Qi Zhao,Xinyi Yu,Yujie Song,Jun Hu,Dan Wang,Zhi-Gang Shen,Ze-Hai Xu,Hua Sheng,Zhong-Ting Hu
A bactericidal membrane (CNTs-PEI/CZIS) was designed by anchoring Cu-ZnIn 2 S 4 on CNTs-PEI. • In N coordination contributes to the structural stabilization between the CZIS and CNTs-PEI. • CNTs-PEI/CZIS has ultra hydrophilicity/oleophobicity with O/W separation efficiency of ~100%. • CNTs-PEI/CZIS has bactericidal rate of ~100% both at 10 6 CFU mL −1 (artificial) and actual water. • CNTs-PEI/CZIS has excellent self-cleaning and stable long-term antibacterial activity. Membrane technology for water disinfection (MTWD) offers high effluent quality with a small footprint, but its practical application is still limited by bacterial fouling-induced flux decline and insufficient long-term disinfection capability. Herein, we designed a self-cleaning CNTs-PEI/Cu-ZnIn 2 S 4 composite membrane by depositing an ultralow amount of copper-supported ZnIn 2 S 4 (CZIS) nanoflowers (only 2.5 mg per 50 mm-diameter membrane) onto polyethyleneimine-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs-PEI). This membrane preserves the high permeability and hydrophilic-oleophobic characteristics (oil-water separation efficiency of 99.3 ± 0.6%, with a max flux of 6470 ± 500 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 ) is mainly ascribed to the CNTs-PEI construction, as well as the efficient photocatalytic sterilization activity (with an efficiency ~100% under bacterial concentration of 10 6 CFU mL −1 ) and its self-cleaning capability (overall, >6000 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 ) is demonstrated to CZIS nanomaterial. In practical test, the antibacterial efficiency in natural water reaches ~100% even over 20 cycles. The integrated properties of CNTs-PEI/Cu-ZnIn 2 S 4 composite membrane are related to the design of interfacial coupling between CZIS and CNTs-PEI through In N coordination and the combination of visible-light photocatalytic activity. This work provides a promising strategy on constructing a novel composite membrane for overcoming biofouling by bacterial disinfection. A visible-light-driven carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based composite membrane enables efficient water disinfection and purification. By anchoring Cu-ZnIn 2 S 4 nanoflowers onto hydrophilic-oleophobic PEI-functionalized CNTs, the membrane achieves ~100% bactericidal efficiency and excellent antifouling/self-cleaning performance. Its functionality in bacterial inactivation highlights its potential in sustainable and advanced water treatment technologies. Download: Download high-res image (211KB) Download: Download full-size image
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Coatings
·
2026
·Vol. 16
·期 2
·
IF 3.4
Zhenqiao Ma,Yuanyuan Xiong,Yiqing Deng,Peini Li,Xiandi Yang,Zhi Ye,Qiang Zhao
The contamination of water resources by high concentrations of organic dyes poses severe threats to human health, making the removal of these pollutants critical. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown promising potential in dye adsorption due to their high surface area and chemical stability. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), a typical MOF, is known for its thermal stability and is frequently used in removing organic dyes. To enhance its adsorption performance, ZIF-8 is often carbonized to form porous carbon-based materials. However, carbonized ZIF-8 (CZ) often demonstrates restricted adsorption capacity and sluggish kinetics. To address these limitations, we chemically modified low-temperature carbonized ZIF-8 (CZ-550) with polyethyleneimine (PEI) using cyanuric chloride (CC) as a crosslinking agent, producing a novel composite (CZ@PEI/CC-7) featuring abundant amine-rich active sites for adsorption. This study evaluated the adsorption performance of CZ@PEI/CC-7 in removing methyl orange (MO) dye. Our findings reveal that CZ@PEI/CC-7 exhibits accelerated adsorption kinetics aligning with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, while its isotherms fit the Freundlich and Temkin models, highlighting a favorable multilayer adsorption. Significantly, CZ@PEI/CC-7 achieved an adsorption capacity of 3150 mg/g for MO, compared to 1100 mg/g for unmodified CZ-550. Furthermore, the composite demonstrated excellent acid-base stability across a broad pH range (2–12), retaining structural integrity and adsorption efficiency. These findings suggest that CZ@PEI/CC-7 is a promising candidate for efficient MO removal from water.
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
·
2026
·
IF 7.5
Lixia Wang,Yun Liu,Pengyuan Cui,Dongfang Wang,Qian Li
Interfacial polymerization (IP)-based nanofiltration (NF) membranes often suffer from the permeability–selectivity trade-off due to uncontrolled monomer diffusion and nonuniform polyamide (PA) layer formation. In this work, a g-C₃N₄/polyethyleneimine (PEI) hybrid interlayer was constructed on a polyethersulfone substrate via vacuum-assisted deposition to regulate interfacial polymerization and enhance sulfate separation performance for nanofiltration-related water softening applications. The synergistic interaction between g-C₃N₄ nanosheets and PEI effectively suppressed nanosheet aggregation, enlarged interlayer spacing, and improved interfacial compatibility, thereby promoting the formation of an ultrathin and highly cross-linked PA selective layer. The optimized TFNi-2 membrane exhibited a high water flux of 65.8 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ together with a Na 2 SO 4 rejection of 96.8% at 0.4 MPa, demonstrating excellent permeability and selective rejection toward multivalent ions. Structural characterizations confirmed that the g-C₃N₄/PEI interlayer regulated amine diffusion behavior and suppressed nonuniform PA formation, resulting in a compact and defect-suppressed selective layer with an MWCO of approximately 600 Da. In addition, the highly permeable interlayer generated a favorable “gutter effect” that reduced transport resistance and facilitated water permeation. The optimized membrane also exhibited satisfactory chlorine resistance and long-term operational stability. This work provides new insights into interlayer-regulated interfacial polymerization for the development of high-performance nanofiltration membranes for sulfate removal and water softening applications.
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
·
2026
·Vol. 34
·期 8
·206
·
IF 5.6
Yang Xiaoyu,Yu Yunwu,Zhou Hailong,Xu Qicheng,Sun Xiaowei,Wang Yan,Liu Peng,Li Ting,Liu Xin,Gao Lili
In this study, an innovative multi-scale research framework integrating molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, machine learning (ML) prediction, and experimental validation was established to systematically elucidate the mechanism by which polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) regulates the performance and structure-property relationship of phenolphthalein-based polyether ether ketone/polyethyleneimine (PEEKWC/PEI) ultrafiltration membranes. MD simulations further revealed at the atomic scale that PVP forms a hydrogen-bonding network with the membrane matrix via the carbonyl oxygen of the pyrrolidone ring, thereby significantly enhancing interfacial compatibility. Its flexible chain intercalation can increase the free volume of the membrane. However, excessive addition induces local aggregation and entanglement of molecular chains, hindering water molecule diffusion, resulting in a decrease in diffusion coefficient from 0.115 Ų/ps to 0.082 Ų/ps. The ML model accurately reproduced the decreasing trend of water flux with the increase of PVP content. Combined with SHAP analysis to quantify the influence weight of each factor, it was clarified that operating pressure and surface roughness are the dominant factors, and the global optimal PVP addition amount was identified. Experimental validation showed that the PVP-K90 modified membrane exhibits the best comprehensive performance, with a pure water flux of up to 3162.1 L·m -2 ·h -1 , a Congo Red (CR) rejection rate of 95.3%, and a flux recovery rate (FRR) of 88.9%, demonstrating excellent antifouling performance. The PVP-K120 modified membrane shows better dye rejection effect in high-salt environments, with a rejection rate exceeding 87%. This study moves beyond the traditional trial-and-error approach, reveals the microscopic essence of additive effects through multi-scale correlation analysis, not only successfully prepares high-performance ultrafiltration membranes, but also provides a replicable innovative research paradigm for the directed design and performance optimization of separation membranes.
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
·
2025
·
IF 13.2
Lin Li,Kunpeng Yu,Jing Xie,Haixin Sun,Tong Feng,Qinqin Xu,Jianzhong Yin
Graphene has emerged as a highly promising material in the field of membrane separation due to its exceptional properties. However, the challenge of scalable production remains a significant barrier to its widespread application. In this study, we directly used graphene nanosheets (GNs) stripped by supercritical fluid as raw materials to prepare composite membranes with excellent performance. By systematically controlling the intercalation and phase-transition expansion of supercritical CO 2 under the guidance of the established exfoliation theory, a graphene dispersion with a concentration of 2.71 mg∙mL −1 was obtained, which is the highest value reported to date using the supercritical exfoliation (SCE) method. 90 % of the exfoliated GNs are <3 layers, 51 % of GNs exhibiting lateral dimensions >3 μm. The fabricated graphene composite membrane exhibited excellent dye rejection performance, achieving a rejection rate of 99.95 % for Congo red. This method addresses the limitations of conventional liquid-phase exfoliation methods, offering a scalable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly route for the production of graphene and related composite membranes.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
WATER RESEARCH
·
2025
·
IF 12.4
Huijun Yu,Xieyang Xu,Yingsong Liu,Chenshuo Wang,Linxuan Gao,Jianbing Wang
Nanofiltration (NF) offers an energy-efficient approach for lithium recovery from brines. Conventional NF membranes rely on the positively charged polyamide layer formed via interfacial polymerization (IP) of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) to repel Mg 2+ more strongly than Li + , but their Mg 2+ /Li + selectivity remains constrained by limited control over pore size distribution. Here, we develop polyamide (PA) layers using amphiphilic dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium (DOSS)-mediated electrospray interfacial polymerization (DEIP). Electrospray-assisted polymerization at the interfaces of abundant immiscible microdroplets produces thinner PA layers with reduced transport resistance and accelerates monomer diffusion in a non-selective manner. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and density function theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that DOSS selectively regulates the diffusion behavior of PEI and TMC within microdroplets, enabling the formation of PA layers with uniform pore structures and a positively charged surface. These structural advantages deliver precise ion sieving for lithium extraction, achieving a Mg 2+ /Li + selectivity of 142 and water permeance of 13.45 L·m −2 ·h −1 ·bar −1 . The DEIP membrane also demonstrates stable Mg 2+ /Li + separation over seven days of continuous NF operation. This work underscores the promise of DEIP membranes for high-efficiency lithium extraction and highlighted their potential for practical brine-based lithium recovery.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
膜技术
·
分离科学
·
环境工程
·
锂提取
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
·
2025
·
IF 9
Qing Lin,Xiuwu Liu,Xinxin Zhang,Zhiqiu Ye,Jing Fang,Zhensheng Yang,Hao Li
The development of simple and effective strategies for uranium extraction from seawater is crucial to addressing the energy crisis. In this study, we designed and prepared PEI/SA-PAO composite gel spheres with double cross-linking networks, based on a synergistic approach combining polyelectrolyte self-assembly and supramolecular cross-linking. The composite gel spheres utilized sodium alginate (SA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) as polyelectrolyte substrates, which self-assembled into a primary network through electrostatic interactions. Calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) were then used as a cross-linking agent to construct a supramolecular network. The resulting hierarchical macroporous structure within the gel spheres facilitated the diffusion and mass transfer of uranyl ions. The carboxylate, amino, and amidoxime groups within the material exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 467.56 mg/g in an 8 ppm uranyl solution through a synergistic coordination-chelation effect. After four cycles, the gel material retained an adsorption capacity of 342.54 mg/g. The material also demonstrated excellent selectivity for uranyl ions in natural seawater, achieving uranium adsorption of 5.6 mg/g, underscoring its significant potential for practical application in uranium extraction from seawater.
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
DESALINATION
·
2025
·
IF 9.8
Shuwei Jia,Jun Wei,Xinyu Ma,Zhi Wang
High-efficiency lithium extraction from salt lakes is pivotal to meet escalating lithium demand driven by energy storage and electric vehicle industries. In this study, the small-molecule aminoacetonitrile (AAN) was introduced as an aqueous-phase co -monomer to modulate the interfacial polymerization process between polyethyleneimine (PEI) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC). Specifically, the primary amine in AAN molecules reacted with acyl chloride moieties in TMC, occupying reaction sites and thereby preserving a larger fraction of unreacted primary amine groups on the PEI chains within the separation layer, which significantly enhanced the membrane's surface positive charge. Simultaneously, the nitrile groups of AAN preferentially coordinated with Li + ions to effectively counteract the repulsive effect of the strongly positively charged membrane surface on Li + . This “charge-coordination” synergistic mechanism enabled precise control over the separation process. When treating mixed salt solution with a Mg 2+ /Li + mass ratio of 100, the optimized membrane achieved a separation factor of 74.7, along with enhanced MgCl 2 rejection of 99.3 % compared to virgin membrane's 93.9 %, and reduced LiCl rejection from 56.3 % to 49.3 %. Notably, upon treatment of simulated salt lake brine, the membrane manifested a pronounced Li + enrichment effect, with a LiCl rejection rate of −8.8 % while retaining a high MgCl 2 rejection capacity. This study employed a simple preparation process with industrialization potential, providing a guiding strategy for constructing high-selectivity membranes for Mg 2+ /Li + separation.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
膜科学与技术
·
分离工程
·
能源材料
·
无机非金属材料
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Desalination and Water Treatment
·
2024
·
IF 1
Zhuan-nian Liu,A.-ping Fan,Xiao-gang Han,Habiba Shapour,Qing-yun Zhang
The chelating adsorbent PEI-MIL-101(Cr) was prepared by introducing polyethyleneimine (PEI) into the MIL-101(Cr) channel in this paper. X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and scanning electron microscope were applied to characterize the structure and morphology of MIL-101(Cr) and PEI-MIL-101(Cr). The adsorption properties and mechanism of the MIL-101(Cr) and PEI-MIL-101(Cr) to Cr(VI) were studied. The results showed that adsorption capacity of PEI-MIL-101(Cr) for Cr(VI) was obviously better than MIL-101(Cr). The adsorption isotherm of Cr(VI) onto MIL-101(Cr) and PEI-MIL-101(Cr) can be described by Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption amount for Cr(VI) onto MIL-101(Cr) and 30% PEI-MIL-101(Cr) was 61.99 and 40.34 mg/g. The adsorption kinetic data of the two adsorbents followed the pseudo second-order model. The negative values ΔH and ΔG illustrate that the process is spontaneous and exothermic. PEI-MIL-101(Cr) can be reused for four times.
研究领域:
环境化学
·
材料科学
·
污染控制
·
吸附技术
·
功能材料
·
水污染治理
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Surfaces and Interfaces
·
2026
·
IF 6
Wenling Fan,Xiao Xu,Lingling Li,Long Sun,Chang Gao,Le Luo,Jingjing Zhang,Ziqi Sun,Ying Xu,Yutong Gao
This study elucidates the stabilization mechanism underpinning the efficient and long-term separation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) volatile oils from oil-in-water emulsions by polyvinylidene fluoride/phytic acid-polyethyleneimine/Fe3 + (PVDF/PA-PEI/Fe3 + ) membranes. Through integrated molecular docking and Schneider's thermodynamic analysis, we demonstrate that the exceptional stability arises from a dual-crosslinked architecture: (1) High-affinity coordination bonds between phytic acid (PA) and Fe³⁺ (binding energy: −5.2 kcal/mol; ΔH m = 1.05 × 10⁻³ cal/mol) establish a robust framework resistant to chemical and thermal degradation, while (2) Fe³⁺-mediated interfacial bridging—achieved through lone-pair electron sharing with fluorine atoms in PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) and electrostatic interactions with polyethyleneimine (PEI)—synergistically suppresses delamination. Experimental validation demonstrates exceptional durability: Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses confirm retention of Fe³⁺-phosphate coordination bonds and pore structural integrity following 24-h exposures to pH extremes (3–11), 100% ethanol, 95°C thermal treatment, and 0.25 MPa pressure. The membrane sustains >95% oil retention capacity and stable steady-state permeate flux (≈2750 L·m –2 ·h –1 (LMH), 2750 LMH·bar –1 ) throughout the 60-day cyclic operation (8h of filtration per day, with the membrane immersed in the turmeric oil-in-water emulsion during off-operation hours and characterized every 7 days). The high flux is attributed to the synergistic effect of the large-pore PVDF substrate (Molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 200,000 Da) and the superhydrophilic PA-PEI/Fe 3+ coating, Tests were conducted on 4 cm-radius membraneswith an effective filtration area of 0.005024 m² under the conditions of Transmembrane pressure (TMP) of 0.1 MPa and 25±1°C.With corrosion resistance demonstrated by negligible flux variation (flux recovery ratio, (FRR) <100%) when treating aggressive turmeric oil emulsions. This study establishes a dual-anchoring strategy that effectively mitigates volatility-induced membrane corrosion, thereby positioning PVDF/PA-PEI/Fe³⁺ membranes as an industrially viable platform for sustainable extraction of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) volatile components. Download: Download high-res image (438KB) Download: Download full-size image
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Materials
·
2021
·Vol. 14
·期 8
·1955
·
IF 3.623
Chan Wang,Kuan Hu,Ying Liu,Ming-Rong Zhang,Zhiwei Wang,Zhou Li
All-solid-state supercapacitors have gained increasing attention as wearable energy storage devices, partially due to their flexible, safe, and lightweight natures. However, their electrochemical performances are largely hampered by the low flexibility and durability of current polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based electrolytes. Herein, a novel polyvinyl alcohol-polyethyleneimine (PVA-PEI) based, conductive and elastic hydrogel was devised as an all-in-one electrolyte platform for wearable supercapacitor (WSC). For proof-of-concept, we assembled all-solid-state supercapacitors based on boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) intercalated graphene electrodes and PVA-PEI based gel electrolyte. Furthermore, by varying the electrolyte ions, we observed synergistic effects between the hydrogel and the electrode materials when KOH was used as electrolyte ions, as the Graphene/BNNS@PVA-PEI-KOH WSCs exhibited a significantly improved areal capacitance of 0.35 F/cm2and a smaller ESR of 6.02 ohm/cm2. Moreover, due to the high flexibility and durability of the PVA-PEI hydrogel electrolyte, the developed WSCs behave excellent flexibility and cycling stability under different bending states and after 5000 cycles. Therefore, the conductive, yet elastic, PVA-PEI hydrogel represents an attractive electrolyte platform for WSC, and the Graphene/BNNS@PVA-PEI-KOH WSCs shows broad potentials in powering wearable electronic devices.Keywords:hydrogel electrolyte;flexible supercapacitor;graphene;boron nitride nanosheets
研究领域:
材料科学
·
能源技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）