Janus membranes at the water-energy nexus: A critical review

Lijun Meng; Wei Shi; Yang Li; Xuesong Li; Xin Tong; Zhiwei Wang

doi:10.1016/j.cis.2023.102937

Janus membranes at the water-energy nexus: A critical review

Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Aug:318:102937. doi: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.102937. Epub 2023 Jun 8.

Authors

Lijun Meng¹, Wei Shi¹, Yang Li¹, Xuesong Li¹, Xin Tong², Zhiwei Wang³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Tongji Advanced Membrane Technology Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Tongji Advanced Membrane Technology Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: tongxin@tongji.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Tongji Advanced Membrane Technology Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: zwwang@tongji.edu.cn.

PMID: 37315418
DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.102937

Abstract

Membrane technology has emerged as a highly efficient strategy for alleviating water and energy scarcity globally. As the key component, the membrane plays a fatal role in different membrane systems; however, traditional membranes still suffer from shortcomings including low permeability, low selectivity, and high fouling tendency. Janus membranes are promising to overcome those shortcomings and appealing for applications in the realm of water-energy nexus, due to their special transport behaviors and separation properties as a result of their unique asymmetric wetting or surface charge properties. Recently, numerous research studies have been conducted on the design, fabrication, and application of Janus membranes. In this review, we aim to provide a state-of-the-art summary and a critical discussion on the research advances of Janus membranes at the water-energy nexus. The innovative design strategies of different types of Janus membranes are summarized and elucidated in detail. The fundamental working principles of various Janus membranes and their applications in oil/water separation, membrane distillation, solar evaporation, electrodialysis, nanofiltration, and forward osmosis are discussed systematically. The mechanisms of directional transport properties, switchable permeability, and superior separation properties of Janus membranes in those different applications are elucidated. Lastly, future research directions and challenges are highlighted in improving Janus membrane performance for various membrane systems.

Keywords: Energy harvesting; Janus membrane; Membrane design; Water treatment; Water-energy nexus.

Publication types

Review