Zhou Zongyao, Li Xiang, Guo Dong, Shinde Digambar B, Lu Dongwei, Chen Long, Liu Xiaowei, Cao Li, Aboalsaud Ammar M, Hu Yunxia, Lai Zhiping
Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Core Labs, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Nat Commun. 2020 Oct 21;11(1):5323. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19182-1.
Pore size uniformity is one of the most critical parameters in determining membrane separation performance. Recently, a novel type of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) has shown uniform pore size and high porosity. However, their brittle nature has prevented them from preparing robust membranes. Inspired by the skin-core architecture of spider silk that offers both high strength and high ductility, herein we report an electropolymerization process to prepare a CMP membrane from a rigid carbazole monomer, 2,2',7,7'-tetra(carbazol-9-yl)-9,9'-spirobifluorene, inside a robust carbon nanotube scaffold. The obtained membranes showed superior mechanical strength and ductility, high surface area, and uniform pore size of approximately 1 nm. The superfast solvent transport and excellent molecular sieving well surpass the performance of most reported polymer membranes. Our method makes it possible to use rigid CMPs membranes in pressure-driven membrane processes, providing potential applications for this important category of polymer materials.
孔径均匀性是决定膜分离性能的最关键参数之一。最近，一种新型的共轭微孔聚合物（CMPs）显示出均匀的孔径和高孔隙率。然而，它们的脆性使其无法制备出坚固的膜。受具有高强度和高延展性的蜘蛛丝皮芯结构的启发，在此我们报道一种电聚合过程，用于在坚固的碳纳米管支架内部由刚性咔唑单体2,2',7,7'-四（咔唑-9-基）-9,9'-螺二芴制备CMP膜。所获得的膜表现出优异的机械强度和延展性、高比表面积以及约为１nm的均匀孔径。超快的溶剂传输和出色的分子筛分性能远远超过了大多数已报道的聚合物膜的性能。我们的方法使得在压力驱动的膜过程中使用刚性CMPs膜成为可能，为这一重要类别的聚合物材料提供了潜在的应用。
