Back Cover: Sustainable Process for the Preparation of High-Performance Thin-Film Composite Membranes using Ionic Liquids as the Reaction Medium (ChemSusChem 10/2016)

The Back Cover picture shows water purification using a thin‐film composite membrane prepared by using an ionic liquid as organic reactant phase. Water purification and desalination of saltwater receive increasing attention worldwide to meet the growing needs for fresh water. Thin film composite (TFC) membranes are the state‐of‐the‐art membranes in aqueous nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis, the leading desalination technology. The membranes are now also being explored as energy‐saving replacement for distillations and as a waste‐free alternative for extractions and chromatographic separations. However, several environmental and energetic aspects of these TFC membranes, both in the fabrication process as in the membrane performance, are still a concern. The introduction of an ionic liquid during interfacial polymerization can overcome many of these drawbacks. More details can be found in the Full Paper by Mariën et al. on page 1101 in Issue 10, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201600123).