Charge-selective nanoconfined boron nitride membranes for ultrafast and enhanced water decontamination

Abstract

Membrane separation techniques could address global water scarcity and ensure water safety. However, the unavoidable concentration polarization effect remains a formidable challenge. Here, we present a nanoconfined catalysis boron nitride membrane confining active nanoparticles to elaborately regulate molecular separation and pollutant degradation. For positively charged pollutant, the nanoconfined catalysis membrane demonstrates a water permeance reaching high up to 1549 ​L ​m⁻² ​h⁻¹ ​bar⁻¹, which also substantially increases the removal efficiency of organic pollutants from 71.9 ​% to above 99.9 ​%. For negatively charged pollutant, the membrane achieves nearly 100 ​% reduction to p-aminophenol within 4.06 ms retention time across 100 operational cycles. Density functional theory calculation results further confirm the charge selection of nanoconfined catalysis boron nitride membranes for enhanced water decontamination. The superior performance of nanoconfined catalysis membranes arises from synergistically integrating stable 2D nanochannels, uniform catalytic layers, and controlled charge transfer, effectively mitigating concentration polarization in wastewater treatment.