Multichannel antibacterial 3D@2D membrane for water treatment

New membrane materials with excellent water permeability and high dyes rejection are crucial. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) stand out as promising candidates due to their diverse chemistry and topology. In this study, three-dimensional MOFs were grown on two-dimensional lamellar porous graphene (PG) using an in situ hydrothermal synthesis method to create hybrid nanomaterials. These nanomaterials were then incorporated into the active layers of the composite nanofiltration membranes through a filter-press assisted assembly. The resulting membranes demonstrated high dye rejection (>99.8 %) and permeability to inorganic salts (e.g., 51 % for Na2SO4 and >90 % for NaCl, MgCl2 and MgSO4) attributed to size-sieving and electrostatic-repulsion mechanisms, along with high permeability (19.8 LMH bar(-1)). This membrane also demonstrated a good stability in continuing operation for 54 h. Moreover, the membrane material exhibited excellent antibacterial properties. These advantages highlight the effectiveness of the 3D material and 2D material structure with specific channels, rendering the membranes highly versatile.