Membrane design for ultrafast transport and precise molecular sieving

Separation processes in fossil fuel, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries account for 10–15% of global energy consumption. Membrane technologies could reduce carbon emissions by up to 90%, but controlling membrane thickness and pore structure remains challenging. To address this, ultrathin nanofilms comprising aligned macrocycles or hydrophobic vesicles were developed to enable rapid transport and precise separations in pharmaceutical enrichment and crude oil fractionation. Currently, we aim to further enhance permeation and selectivity in crude oil processing through creating nanofilms from polymers of locked intrinsic microporosity. Moreover, we have scaled up this process to produce pilot-scale membrane modules for industrial applications.