Highly Water-Stable Zirconium Metal–Organic Framework UiO-66 Membranes Supported on Alumina Hollow Fibers for Desalination

In this study, continuous zirconium(IV) based metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) membranes were prepared.The pure phase Zr-MOF (i.e., UiO-66) polycrystalline membranes were fabricated on alumina hollow fibers using an in-situ solvothermal synthesis method.Single gas permeation and ion rejection tests were carried out to confirm the membrane integrity and functionality.The membrane exhibited excellent multivalent ion rejection (e.g., 86.3% for Ca 2+ , 98. 0% for Mg 2+ , 99.3% for Al 3+ ) based on size exclusion with moderate permeance (0.14 L m -2 h -1 bar -1 ) and good permeability (0.28 L m -2 h -1 bar -1 µm).Benefiting from the exceptional chemical stability of the UiO-66 material, no degradation of the membrane performance was observed for various tests up to 170 hours towards a wide range of saline solutions.The high separation performance combined with its outstanding water stability suggests the developed UiO-66 membrane as a promising candidate for water desalination.