2D Metal-Organic Framework-Based Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes for Reverse Osmosis and Organic Solvent Nanofiltration.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) MOFs are promising candidates for membrane-based liquid separations due to their intrinsic mircoporosity, but many are limited by their insufficient stability. In this work, a copper-benzoquinoid (Cu-THQ) MOF was synthesized and demonstrated structural stability in water and organic solvents. After incorporation into the polyamide layer, the hydrophilicity of the membranes was enhanced. The resultant thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes broke the permeability-selectivity tradeoff by showing 242% increment in water permeance and slight enhancement salt rejection at MOF loading of 0.0192 mg cm -2 . The underlying mechanism was probed by different chemical and morphological characterizations. The membranes also proved improved tolerance to chlorine oxidation. With their excellent stability, the Cu-THQ MOF-based membranes further demonstrated impressive performances in organic solvent nanofiltraiton involving dimethylformamide.