Weiling Xia, “Covalent Organic Framework Membrane for the Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances”
Mentor: Xiaoli Ma, Materials Science & Engineering
Poster #160

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as a group of emerging contaminants, have been ubiquitously detected in surface water, groundwater, and wastewater. Membrane-based filtration is considered an economic and effective approach to remove PFAS from contaminated water. Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes are a promising water treatment technology due to their inherent porosity and outstanding chemical stability, but remain unexplored yet for PFAS removal. In this work, a series of β-ketoenamine-linked COF membranes were prepared by interfacial polymerization method, and membrane structures were characterized by a variety of material characterization techniques. PFAS rejection rates, as well as water permeance of the synthesized COF membranes, were evaluated in a crossflow permeation system. Findings from this research will provide insight into the correlations between COF membrane structure and PFAS rejection property that will guide better design of membrane materials for the removal of emerging contaminants.