Precisely regulated in-plane pore sizes of Co-MOF nanosheet membranes for efficient dye recovery

Nanofiltration (NF) is widely used to treat highly saline textile waters, but its efficiency in dye recovery is limited by low permeance. This study presents a novel class of Co-based metal-organic framework (Co-MOF) nanosheet membranes for efficient and selective dye recovery. The Co-MOF membranes have precisely regulated in-plane pore sizes and exhibit superior permeance and selectivity compared to non-porous nanosheet membranes. By adjusting the length of the ligand, the in-plane pore size was precisely tuned from 1.01 × 0.63 to 1.43 × 0.64 nm2. The Co-MOF membranes exhibited high selectivity for salts over dye in both diffusion and pressure-driven filtration modes, along with excellent and tunable pure water permeance and high rejection of the dye OII. The remarkable permeability and selectivity of the Co-MOF membranes were attributed to the in-plane pores on the nanosheets, which serve as extra fast "lifts" for water and salts while exhibiting high rejection to the dye molecules. Long-term filtration performance and Co leaching tests demonstrated the stability of the Co-MOF membranes, making them promising candidates for practical dye recovery applications. Overall, this work provides a new approach for the development of high-performance membranes for textile wastewater treatment.