Special Issue "Membranes for Selective Nano/Sub-nanometer Scale Mass Transport"

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2023 | Viewed by 3467

Special Issue Editors

Division of Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center (AMPM), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Interests: membranes; two-dimensional materials; nanoporous materials; nanofluidics; molecular separation
Dr. Zongyao Zhou
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Advanced Separations (LAS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1950 Sion, Switzerland
Interests: polymer membranes; desalination; lithium extraction; ion separation; nanoporous materials
Dr. Sheng Zhou
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Physical Science and Engineering (PSE), Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center (AMPM), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Interests: membranes; metal-organic frameworks; nanoporous materials; gas separation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you contribute to the Special Issue of Membranes on selective nano/subnanometer-scale mass transport. Membranes/channels with a confined space featuring selective mass transport (for instance, gases, liquids, and ions) at the nano/subnanometer scale have attracted growing interest over the past decades. In particular, these channels have shown tremendous potential for applications in the fields of energy storage and conversion, chemical sensing, and molecular separation. However, their practical applications have continuously faced challenges with respect to efficiency, stability, and scalability. This Special Issue mainly focus on membranes/channels for molecular-scale discriminations between similarly sized molecules in gas and liquid mixtures or ions by attending to the most detailed features of nanomaterials, manufacturing technology, transport mechanisms, and membrane applications. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Polymer-based membranes
  • Nanoporous material membranes/channels, e.g., zeolites, MOFs, COFs, and related materials
  • One-dimensional (1D) tubes/channels, e.g., carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and 1D organic/inorganic channels
  • Two-dimensional channels/ membranes, e.g., graphene, graphene oxide, MoS2, MXene, and other 2D materials
  • Characterization and mechanism of membrane/channel formation
  • Transport mechanisms in nano/subnano confined space, modeling, and simulation
  • Gas/vapor separation, carbon capture
  • Liquid separation, water treatment
  • Energy related applications
  • Membrane reactors based on selective gas/vapor, liquid, or ion transport
  • Membrane modules and processes, membrane hybrid systems

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jie Shen
Dr. Zongyao Zhou 
Dr. Sheng Zhou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • membranes/channels
  • transport mechanisms
  • nanomaterials
  • porous materials
  • molecular-level separation
  • membrane process

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
A Mathematical Simulation of Copper and Nickel Ions Separation Using Prepared Nanocellulose Material
Membranes 2023, 13(4), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13040381 - 27 Mar 2023
Viewed by 473
Abstract
Environmental risks can arise from the existence of heavy metals in wastewater and their land disposal. To address this concern, a mathematical technique is introduced in this article that enables the anticipation of breakthrough curves and the imitation of copper and nickel ion [...] Read more.
Environmental risks can arise from the existence of heavy metals in wastewater and their land disposal. To address this concern, a mathematical technique is introduced in this article that enables the anticipation of breakthrough curves and the imitation of copper and nickel ion separation onto nanocellulose in a fixed-bed system. The mathematical model is based on mass balances for copper and nickel and partial differential equations for pore diffusion in a fixed bed. The study evaluates the impact of experimental parameters such as bed height and initial concentration on the shape of the breakthrough curves. At 20 °C, the maximum adsorption capacities for copper and nickel ions on nanocellulose were 5.7 mg/g and 5 mg/g, respectively. The breakthrough point decreased with increasing solution concentration at higher bed heights, while at an initial concentration of 20 mg/L, the breakthrough point increased with bed height. The fixed-bed pore diffusion model showed excellent agreement with the experimental data. The use of this mathematical approach can help alleviate the environmental hazards that arise from the presence of heavy metals in wastewater. The study highlights the potential of nanocellulose as a material for membrane technology, which can effectively address these risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Selective Nano/Sub-nanometer Scale Mass Transport)
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Article
Simultaneous Production of Aromatics and COx-Free Hydrogen via Methane Dehydroaromatization in Membrane Reactors: A Simulation Study
Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1175; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12121175 - 22 Nov 2022
Viewed by 521
Abstract
As an alternative route for aromatics and hydrogen production, methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) is of significant academic and industrial interest due to the abundance of natural gas resources and the intensive demand for aromatics and COx-free hydrogen. In the present work, a [...] Read more.
As an alternative route for aromatics and hydrogen production, methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) is of significant academic and industrial interest due to the abundance of natural gas resources and the intensive demand for aromatics and COx-free hydrogen. In the present work, a simulation study on MDA in membrane reactors (MRs) was performed with the aim of co-producing aromatics and COx-free hydrogen with a highly improved efficiency. The effects of various parameters, including catalytic activity, membrane flux and selectivity, as well as the operating conditions on the MR performance were discussed with respect to methane conversion, hydrogen yield, and hydrogen purity. The results show that catalytic activity and membrane flux and selectivity have significant impacts on CH4 conversion and H2 yield, whereas H2 purity is mainly dominated by membrane selectivity. A highly improved MDA is confirmed to be feasible at a relatively low temperature and a high feed pressure because of the hydrogen extraction effect. To further improve MDA in MRs by intensifying H2 extraction, a simple configuration combining a fixed-bed reactor (FBR) and an MR together is proposed for MDA, which demonstrates good potential for the high-efficiency co-production of aromatics and COx-free hydrogen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Selective Nano/Sub-nanometer Scale Mass Transport)
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Article
One-Step Synthesis of Ultrathin Zeolitic Imidazole Framework-8 (ZIF-8) Membrane on Unmodified Porous Support via Electrophoretic Deposition
Membranes 2022, 12(11), 1062; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12111062 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 776
Abstract
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as the next-generation, disruptive membrane materials, yet the straightforward fabrication of ultrathin MOF membranes on an unmodified porous support remains a critical challenge. In this work, we proposed a facile, one-step electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method for the growth [...] Read more.
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as the next-generation, disruptive membrane materials, yet the straightforward fabrication of ultrathin MOF membranes on an unmodified porous support remains a critical challenge. In this work, we proposed a facile, one-step electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method for the growth of ultrathin zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) membranes on a bare porous support. The crystallinity, morphology and coverage of ZIF-8 particles on support surface can be optimized via regulating EPD parameters, yet it is still difficult to ensure the integrity of a ZIF-8 membrane with the constant voltage mode. In contrast, the constant current mode is more beneficial to the growth of a defect-free ZIF-8 membrane due to the steady migration rate of colloid particles toward the electrode. With a current of 0.65 mA/cm2 and deposition time of 60 min, a 300 nm thick ZIF-8 membrane was obtained, which exhibits a CO2 permeance of 334 GPU and a CO2/CH4 separation factor of 8.8, evidencing the defect-free structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Selective Nano/Sub-nanometer Scale Mass Transport)
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Article
Highly Strong and Damage-Resistant Natural Rubber Membrane via Self-Assembly and Construction of Double Network
Membranes 2022, 12(10), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12100933 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 781
Abstract
Natural rubber latex (NRL) is commonly employed to manufacture medical protective appliances. However, the characteristics of weakness and fragility of NRL membranes limit their further application. To achieve excellent strength and damage-resistance of the rubber membrane, this work reported a facile core–shell structure [...] Read more.
Natural rubber latex (NRL) is commonly employed to manufacture medical protective appliances. However, the characteristics of weakness and fragility of NRL membranes limit their further application. To achieve excellent strength and damage-resistance of the rubber membrane, this work reported a facile core–shell structure construction strategy via self-assembly with modified sodium lignosulfonate (MSLS) and NRL to create a tough membrane. The double network can be formed after introducing polyamide epichlorohydrin resin (PAE) into the NRL membrane. Specifically, the first robust MSLS-PAE network can break in advance to dissipate applied energy, thereby achieving high fracture energy and tensile strength of ~111.51 kJ m−2 and ~37 MPa, respectively, which overtakes numerous soft materials. This work facilitates more studies on latex/lignin-based products with high performance and good stability for the functional application of biopolymer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Selective Nano/Sub-nanometer Scale Mass Transport)
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