Beyond graphene oxides: Emerging 2D molecular sieve membranes for efficient separation

Abstract

Abstract Recent decades witnessed the significant progress made in the research field of 2D molecular sieve membranes. In comparison with their 3D counterparts, 2D molecular sieve membranes possessed several unique advantages like significantly reduced membrane thickness (one atom thick in theory) and diversified molecular sieving mechanisms (in-plane pores within nanosheets & interlayer galleries between nanosheets). M. Tsapatsis first carried out pioneering work on fabrication of lamellar ZSM-5 membrane. Since then, diverse 2D materials typically including graphene oxides (GOs) have been fabricated into membranes showing promising prospects in energy-efficient gas separation, pervaporation, desalination and nanofiltration. In addition to GOs, other emerging 2D materials, including 2D zeolites, 2D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), 2D covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), layered double hydroxides (LDHs), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), MXenes (typically Ti3C2TX), graphitic carbon nitrides (typically g-C3N4), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and montmorillonites (MT) are showing intriguing performance in membrane-based separation process. This article summarized the most recent developments in the field of 2D molecular sieve membranes aside from GOs with particular emphasis on their structure–performance relationship and application prospects in industrial separation.