Recent progress of two-dimensional nanosheet membranes and composite membranes for separation applications

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as a class of promising materials to prepare high-performance 2D membranes for various separation applications. The precise control of the interlayer nanochannel/sub-nanochannel between nanosheets or the pore size of nanosheets within 2D membranes enables 2D membranes to achieve promising molecular sieving performance. To date, many 2D membranes with high permeability and high selectivity have been reported, exhibiting high separation performance. This review presents the development, progress, and recent breakthrough of different types of 2D membranes, including membranes based on porous and non-porous 2D nanosheets for various separations. Separation mechanism of 2D membranes and their fabrication methods are also reviewed. Last but not the least, challenges and future directions of 2D membranes for wide utilization are discussed in brief.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

membrane separation / 2D membranes / 2D materials / nanosheet

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 22022805, 22078107 and 51621001) and Guangdong Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar (No. 2017A030306002).

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