Glycine-Modified Co-MOF Pervaporation Membrane to Enhance Water Transporting

Cobalt-based metal–organic frameworks (Co-MOFs) with a two-dimensional layered morphology have received increasing attention for pervaporation due to their stability and hydrophilic properties. Using amino glycine (Gly) as a cross-linking agent, the Co-MOF ultrathin two-dimensional membrane doped with organic filler sodium alginate (SA) with the “brick-mixed-sand” structure was proposed. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was selected as the support layer of the hybrid membrane. The introduction of Gly efficiently solved the nanomaterial stacking problem and controllably adjusted the interlayer spacing between the nanosheets, which demonstrated good performance for ethanol dehydration. The results of this experimental research showed that the total flux of alcohol/water (9:1) separation by Gly–Co-MOF-SA/PAN hybrid membranes reached 1902 g m–2 h–1, which was 67% higher than that of the pure SA membranes. The “brick-mixed-sand” lamellar dense morphology of Gly–Co-MOF not only enhances membrane hydrophilicity but also provides effective channels for the rapid transport of water, which is expected to be used for the dehydration of organic solvents.