Progress reports of mineralized membranes: Engineering strategies and multifunctional applications

Abstract

Mineralized membranes as a unique kind of organ-inorganic composite membranes fabricated by the mineralizing technique have received increasing attention over the past decade due to their outstanding mechanical properties, featured functions and diverse applications. The mineralization strategies have been widely and in depth investigated to improve the performance of membranes such as antifouling performance, mechanical properties and separation selectivity. In this critical review, we systemically summarized the engineering strategies of mineralized membranes, including in situ mineralization, covalent grafting-induced mineralization, biomimetic mineralization, and alternative soaking mineralization. The interfacial functionalization modification improves the compatibility of the polymer matrix with the mineral particles in the mineralized membrane, and enables the growth of minerals. The formation of the mineral layer greatly affects the structure and properties of the mineralized membrane and endows the mineralized membrane with various excellent properties. Emerging applications of mineralized membranes are also summarized, including water treatment, photocatalysis, bioengineering, and gas separation. Finally, major challenges and perspectives on future directions in this field are proposed for the rapid development of mineralized membranes. This timely review can provide systematic guidance for novel mineralized membranes with unique functions towards various environmental and energy applications.