Bioinspired MOF-Glucose-PDA composite membrane with high performance and antifouling ability based on three-dimensional modification for molecular separation

Membrane separation technology has been increasingly applied owing to its high efficiency and low energy consumption during resource treatment. However, the development of eco-friendly membranes with high performance and long-term sustainability remains a challenge. To address this issue, we designed a three-dimensional (3D)-modified biopolymer-based membrane using renewable glucose and a zirconium-based metal–organic framework (Zr-MOF) for molecules/ions separation. The Zr-MOF and basal membrane were polymerized at the interface using natural glucose molecules and dopamine as bridging agents to form a 3D-integrated Zr-MOF–Glucose–Polydopamine (Zr-MOF–GP) composite membrane, serving as a “green” separation layer. The developed separation layer emerged additional molecular transport channels, rapid adsorption, ultrafast penetration of the solution on the surface and inside the Zr-MOF–GP composite membrane, and high molecular retention while achieving ultrahigh permeability. Moreover, the Zr-MOF–GP composite membrane exhibited excellent structural and long-term application stability in complex systems owing to the new chemical bonds formed between glucose and Zr-MOF and polydopamine substrate (synergistic effect). The experimental results demonstrated that the designed membrane exhibits superior desalination properties (99.8% Na 2 SO 4 retention while the water flux is 31.6 L/ m 2 ∙h∙bar), good removal of heavy metal ions (69.4% for 2000 ppm Pb 2+ ), and considerable organic solvent resistance (98.8% Rose Bengal retention while the N,N-dimethylformamide permeance is 15.6 L/ m 2 ∙h∙bar), and excellent antifouling performance. This high-performance and environment-friendly biopolymer-based composite membrane will inspire the further the development of sustainable membrane-separation technologies.