Advanced porous organic polymer membranes: Design, fabrication, and energy-saving applications

Membrane separation technology is of great research interest in industry owing to its unparalleled merits such as high selectivity with unsuppressed permeability, reduced carbon footprint, small capital investment, and low energy consumption in comparison to traditional separation techniques. In the last few decades, polyamide membranes dominate the membrane industry until the porous organic polymers (POPs) get a ticket into the area of membrane separation. POPs bearing rich pore architectures and feasible functionalization are ready for fabricating novel membranes for rapid and precise molecular sieving. Here, a background overview of separation technology is provided, followed by a brief introduction of various POP-based membranes and the fabrication approaches of these membranes. Then, recent advancements of POP-bases membranes in energy-saving appli-cations including gas separation and liquid separation are highlighted together with discussions about membrane design and generation involved. Finally, a concise conclusion with our perspective and challenges remaining for the future development of POP-based membranes are outlined.

Automated summary

Membrane separation technology has gained significant attention in industry due to its advantages of high selectivity, low energy consumption, and reduced carbon footprint. Porous organic polymers (POPs) have emerged as a promising material for membrane fabrication, with their rich pore architectures and feasible functionalization. This article provides an overview of the background and fabrication approaches of POP-based membranes, and highlights recent advancements in energy-saving applications such as gas and liquid separation. Discussions on membrane design and remaining challenges are also included.