High-throughput production of nanodisperse hybrid membranes on various substrates

Abstract

Nanoparticle agglomeration in a polymer matrix is often an intractable issue for the advancement of nanohybrid membranes, and achieving scaled-up production also requires the development of simpler, more efficient and more environmentally friendly fabrication mechanisms than what are currently used. Herein, we report a high-throughput methodology for fabricating nanodisperse hybrid membranes by directly atomizing the oligomer (no solvent) and a crosslinker solution doped with nanoparticles and then allowing the nanoparticles to crosslink rapidly on a rotating substrate surface. It has been proven that a robust and defect-free nanohybrid membrane can be fabricated within 3 min, requiring almost 2–3 orders of magnitude less time than conventional solution-coating technologies (200–6700 min). Moreover, various nanoparticles can be dispersed uniformly on a nanometer scale into the selective layer by the atomization synergistic effect, and the resulting membranes exhibit excellent overall performance and good stability for biobutanol recovery. To further demonstrate the universality of this technique, this work has been successfully extended from flat-sheet substrates to hollow-fiber and tubular substrates. In addition, the environmental impact of nanohybrid membrane-making processes has been evaluated quantitatively to further illustrate the greenness of this facile approach.