Weiling Xia, “Effect of Interfacial Polymerization Conditions on the Structure and Property of Covalent Organic Framework Membranes”
Mentor: Xiaoli Ma, Materials Science & Engineering
Poster #69

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of crystalline organic material with inherent porosity, low mass density, and outstanding chemical stability. These desired features endow COF membranes with great promise in energy-efficient separation, water treatment, and desalination applications. One advantage of COF membranes is that they can be synthesized using the scalable interfacial polymerization method. In this work, we will investigate the effects of synthetic parameters during interfacial polymerization on the structure and separation property of β-ketoenamine-linked COF membranes. The synthetic parameters related to monomers, solvent, catalyst, and reaction time will be systematically varied. The resulting membranes will be studied by a variety of materials characterization techniques to elucidate the structural characteristics. The membrane permeance and rejection rates will be measured in a crossflow permeation system. Findings from this research will provide insight into the self-limiting nature of the interfacial polymerization of COF membranes as well as the fundamental correlations between membrane structure and membrane separation properties.