Ultrarobust biomimetic mineralized membranes via heterophase interface engineering

Advanced separation membranes are crucial for water-energy sustainability, but the synthesis of highly efficient membranes with excellent durability and antifouling ability remains highly challenging. Inspired by the natural mineralization processing of biominerals, ultrarobust and antifouling mineralized membranes were synthesized via heterophase interface engineering. At the heterophase interface, phosphate ions and tannic acid (TA) in the coagulation bath (nonsolvent phase) encounter the metal ions in the casting solution (solvent phase) for biomimetic mineralized membrane growth. Metal ions, as sites of mineralization nucleation, combine with phosphoric acid to form minerals, and TA regulates the mineralization process by chelating with metal ions. The mineralized membrane exhibited an exceptional permeance recovery rate (up to 99%) and modulus (4.1-fold higher than that of the control membrane), which were recorded for pressure-driven filtration tolerance. This study paves the way for the in situ synthesis of advanced membranes and materials for water treatment, catalysis, and solar evaporation.