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Charge‐ and Size‐Selective Molecular Separation using Ultrathin Cellulose Membranes
Author(s) -
Puspasari Tiara,
Yu Haizhou,
Peinemann KlausViktor
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201600791
Subject(s) - membrane , microporous material , cellulose , chemical engineering , materials science , filtration (mathematics) , molecule , regenerated cellulose , nanofiltration , bacterial cellulose , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , biochemistry , statistics , mathematics , engineering
To date, it is still a challenge to prepare high‐flux and highselectivity microporous membranes thinner than 20 nm without introducing defects. In this work, we report for the first time the application of cellulose membranes for selective separation of small molecules. A freestanding cellulose membrane as thin as 10 nm has been prepared through regeneration of trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC). The freestanding membrane can be transferred to any desired substrate and shows a normalized flux as high as 700 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 when supported by a porous alumina disc. According to filtration experiments, the membrane exhibits precise size‐sieving performances with an estimated pore size between 1.5–3.5 nm depending on the regeneration period and initial TMSC concentration. A perfect discrimination of anionic molecules over neutral species is demonstrated. Moreover, the membrane demonstrates high reproducibility, high scale‐up potential, and excellent stability over two months.