[Chem. Eng. J.] Constructing oxidized carbon spheres-based heterogeneous membrane with high surface energy for energy-free water purification
作者：Jincui Gu, Tianyu Chen, Peng Xiao, Feng Ni, Luke Yan,* Yujing Nie, Tao Chen*
關鍵字：heterogeneous membrane
論文來源：期刊
具體來源：Chem. Eng. J., 2022, 431, 134132
發表時間：2022年
Producing affordable freshwater becomes increasingly essential. Membrane separation technology offers an unprecedented opportunity, but they typically use fuel energy during the separation process. Therefore, it is a severe challenge to construct an advanced membrane for energy-free water purification. Herein, for the first time, we reported a heterogeneous membrane for pressure-free water purification. Oxidized carbon spheres (OCS) membrane was optimized by the coordinated modification of polydopamine (PDA) and tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC). Remarkably, the OCS@PDA membrane was progressively hydroxylated due to the THPC’s superb water-binding ability. Therefore, the OCS@PDA/THPC membrane demonstrated higher surface free energy and better hydrophilic capacity than the other membranes. Under the combined effect of abundant porous geometry and strong charge interaction, this membrane presented a splendid screening performance for various dye molecules without extra pressure. In addition, its separation throughput can be improved by regulating the external temperature. This work may offer a straightforward manner to handle the relationship between membrane structure and performance for pressure-free water purification.