Enhancing Nanofiltration Selectivity of Metal–Organic Framework Membranes via a Confined Interfacial Polymerization Strategy

Development of well-constructed metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes can bring about breakthroughs in nanofiltration (NF) performance for water treatment applications, while the relatively loose structures and inevitable defects usually cause low rejection capacity of MOF membranes. Herein, a confined interfacial polymerization (CIP) method is showcased to synthesize polyamide (PA)-modified NF membranes with MOF nanosheets as the building blocks, yielding a stepwise transition from two-dimensional (2D) MOF membranes to polyamide NF membranes. The CIP process was regulated by adjusting the loading amount of piperazine (PIP)-grafted MOF nanosheets on substrates and the additional content of free PIP monomers distributed among the nanosheets, followed by the reaction with trimesoyl chloride in the organic phase. The prepared optimal membrane exhibited a high Na2SO4 rejection of 98.4% with a satisfactory water permeance of 37.4 L·m–2·h–1·bar–1, which could be achieved by neither the pristine 2D MOF membranes nor the PA membranes containing the MOF nanosheets as the conventional interlayer. The PA-modified MOF membrane also displayed superior stability and enhanced antifouling ability. This CIP strategy provides a novel avenue to develop efficient MOF-based NF membranes with high ion-sieving separation performance for water treatment.