MXene Membranes: Novel 2D-Materials for High Performance Separation Membranes
Keywords: MAX phases, MXenes, gas separation membranes, liquid separation membranes, Ti3C2Tx.
Membranes with high permeability and high selectivity are urgently required to the larger demand of the industries. Since the discovery of Ti3C2 in 2011, the so-called MXenes, which consist on the family of 2D transitional metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides, has expanded in terms of applications energy storage, electromagnetic interference shielding, reinforcement for composites, water purification, gas- and biosensors, lubrication, and photo-, electro- and chemical catalysis. Between these field of applications, sieving membranes for gas and liquid separation has been focused due the industrial necessity of efficient and ecofriendly process, which should act as a good selectively way to water purification and the possibility of separating gases. Therefore, manufacturing lamellar membranes with highly ordered nanochannel structures for fast and precise molecular sieving is still challenging. Thus, the main goal of this work is to produce a new class of membranes based on MXenes, in particular on Ti3C2Tx, to operate as liquid separation membrane for pervaporation of H2O/H2O/EtOH, which has strong interest from the industry, water purification, removing salt and chemical compounds from seawater and contaminated water (high interest for society), and as gas separation membranes such as N2/CO2, CH4/CO2 and H2/CO2. In this way, this work propose to develop a reproducible processing route for MXenes synthesis, focusing on the purity, quality and particle size; to process the MXenes by different methods including vacuum filtration, spin-coating and dip-coating to control thickness of the membrane, interspace between MXene flakes and adhesion substrate/membrane that will be tested in different ceramic substrates; and to test the final membrane under realistic industrial conditions such as different pH (from acid to basic), aggressive environments, relative high temperatures and long term experiments. From the future results is expected purity and size controlling of MXenes, membranes with a good thickness, adhesion and good permeability and, finally, reliability and durability of them.