Project description
Improving solvent separation selectivity without reducing efficiency
Solvent separation is essential in many industries including the pharmaceutical, chemical and energy sectors whereby separating or purifying solvent mixtures is a critical step in production. Traditional methods such as distillation are energy-intensive and costly. Nanochannel membranes with 1 nm channels offer a more energy-efficient alternative. However, improving membrane selectivity often reduces permeability – a trade-off that limits their effectiveness. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the FREEMEN project will design membranes with rotatable functionalities that help selectivity without compromising permeability. MXene materials and fast-rotating ammonium ions will be used for their development. The proposed solution could advance membrane design, offering a new mechanism for efficient 1 nm mass transport.
Objective
Nanochannel membranes with 1-nm/sub-1-nm channels provide an energy-efficient and sustainable way of solvent separations for global process-based industries that operate on solvent mixtures. Channel modifications by binding selective functionalities are a widely adopted strategy to improve membrane selectivity, but it often compromises target solvents permeability, presenting a persistent and undesired trade-off dilemma. This is largely due to the relatively fixed position of the functionalities, whose steric hindrance unavoidably retards molecular transport at this scale.
In contrast to previous designs, this project aims to develop a novel nanochannel membrane featuring rotatable functionalities. It takes advantage of functionality dynamics - rotations - to facilitate target solvent transport while blocking competing solvent, effectively overcoming the trade-off. The demonstration and verification of this idea are based on 3 steps, including (1) development of a prototype membranes using a 2D layered MXene assembly as backbone and ammonium ions (NH4+) as functionalities due to their intrinsic ultrafast rotation in solvents (e.g. water); (2) evaluation of the solvent separation performance (e.g. water-ethanol) of such membranes against MXene membranes functionalised by slow-rotating ions or no ion (pristine); (3) elucidation of the relation between functionality rotation and solvent transport/separation by coupling experimental results, key characterizations, and computational modelling.
Project success will advance the state-of-the-art in practical, conceptual, and mechanistic aspects. A high-performance solvent separation membrane that breaks trade-off will be fabricated. A new nanochannel membrane design principle involving functionality dynamics will be established. Most importantly, a functionality rotation-mediated transport mechanism will be proposed as a new perspective to understand 1-nm/sub-1-nm mass transport in future membranes.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.