Polymer of intrinsic microporosity coated on a metal-organic framework composite membrane for highly efficient dye separation

Abstract The dyes contained in some industrial wastewater are very harmful pollutants. The application of nanofiltration membrane separation technology for dye separation has been intensively studied. In this paper, a carbon nanotube film is applied as the substrate on which to grow a dense layer of UiO-66, and a kind of polymer of intrinsic microporosity is used to coat its surface. The resulting composite membrane material exhibits an excellent separation property for various dyes, and the separation efficiency can exceed 90%. In addition, the separation mechanism of this membrane is briefly discussed, which mainly relies on a sieving effect and an electrostatic effect to achieve efficient dye separation.